Tales of Shadows 2: The New World
by Archdemon Slayer
Summary: One year after the Adephagos, tensions are rising between the Union and the Empire as the blastia are slowly being replaced. But that isn't the only problem going on. In the world of the Shadow Wielders, Dimensional Rifts have been going out of control, sending towns to Terca Lumires. Now Brave Vesperia and the Shadow Wielders must fight to prevent war from happening. Please review
1. Reunion

**I know, I know I said that the sequel wouldn't be a crossover. But I got stuck and realized it was easier with the crossover. However, simply having Shu and the others enter another Dimensional Break didn't seem too appealing. Then I thought about all the other characters that could be in it. And then I went back to the Dimensional Break again and an idea popped into my head...**

**I wish I had a PS3 because Tales of Xillia is coming out tomorrow, August 8th, in English. Why can't they make more Tales games for the Xbox or Wii? And to make things worse, they're advertising it on Fanfiction as well! They're practically rubbing it right in my face!**

* * *

"Flynn, another one appeared."

"Another?!" Flynn stood up from his desk, staring at Mist through disbelieving eyes.

"Once again, the town appeared once a black portal vanished and Terca Lumires expanded a little more," Mist continued.

"Where is it located?"

"Just on the coastline east of New Aspio."

Flynn sat down again, rubbing his forehead. During the past week, two towns mysteriously appeared on Terca Lumires. Not only that but the planet itself seemed to get larger each time. And now a third had appeared. The citizens in the towns were too confused about what happened to answer the questions given to them by the Imperial Knights. And as if that wasn't the only thing going on, tensions were rising once again between the Empire and the Union.

"What should we do, Flynn?" Mist pressed.

"Oh right," Flynn said, snapping out of his daze. "We should head for it. More than likely it's from the same world."

"So should I ask Judith if we could borrow Ba'ul again?"

"Sure. Go on," Flynn mumbled, waving his hand dismissively. Mist saluted and left the room, closing the door behind her. Flynn sat up straighter, talking again without turning his head. "Yuri, you need to seriously work on your hiding while eavesdropping."

Yuri slid through the window, putting a hand on his hip. "You knew I was there the whole time?"

"It was hard _not _to notice with you rustling the leaves on the tree," Flynn replied flatly, switching his gaze to his friend. "We're gonna need to borrow Ba'ul again."

"Judy's already ready with him," Yuri replied. "We saw the town appear while we were flying on him and figured you'd wanna check it out." He then got a devilish grin. "Haven't you and your wife had a honeymoon yet with all your work?"

Flynn blushed and glared at Yuri. "That's none of your business!"

"You do also remember her 20th birthday is in a few days too, right? Woudn't make a great husband if you forgot it."

"I'm perfectly aware of when Mist's birthday it!" Flynn snapped, quickly losing his patience. A month ago, a wedding for Mist and Flynn was held. Ever since then, Yuri has not stopped holding it over their heads. Flynn stood up, ready to give Yuri a piece of his mind when Mist came through the door again.

"Judith's already prepared for depar- - Yuri! What are you doing here?!"

"Well, well! If it isn't the newlywed girl!" Yuri exclaimed with a grin. Mist narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're pushing it...!" she growled.

"Enough!" Flynn shouted, his eyes closed tighly in annoyance. When he opened them again he looked over at Mist. "Let's get on board, then."

"Right," Mist replied. They were about to go through the door when Mist turned and glared at Yuri. "And we are _not _going to be making out in the hallways, if that's what you're thinking!"

"Hey, I never said you were!" Yuri replied innocently, putting his hands out in front of his chest. Mist huffed and went through the door, Flynn waiting for her.

* * *

The flight to the town didn't take very long. Mist glanced over at New Aspio. The mages had inhabited Tarquaron after it fell back down into the mountains, using it to perform more methods of replacing the lost blastia. So far, they have succeeded in replacing bohdi blastia. People could make pacts with the lesser spirits and the spirits would inhabit the blastia bodies. Unfortunately, replacing barrier blastia was going to prove more difficult. The only spirits with that kind of power were the elemental spirits, and they needed to keep the aer in balance. The Hunting Blades's profits have skyrocketed from cities hiring protection from monsters. They were now one of the five master guilds, replacing the Blood Alliance.

At last, unfamiliar land stretched out before them. Mist leaned over the side, getting a closer look. Mountains had come with it, circling the town. A giant church was in the back of the town. Simply houses were lined up in rows, with a few markets.

"Looks more like a village than a town," Mist commented, standing up straight.

"You're right," Flynn replied, walking over to stand next to her. "However, it looks well protected by the mountains and cliffs, so monsters won't be able to attack it easily."

"Ba'ul will find us a spot to land," Judith called over to them.

"Out of curiosity, where's everyone else?" Mist asked.

"Karol and Raven are taking care of guild work and the new recruits right now," Judith replied. "Estele's in Halure, reading fairy tales to the kids. And you know what Rita's doing."

"Research," Flynn laughed. "That seems to be all that she's doing nowadays."

"Out of curiosity, is Raven a member of Brave Vesperia? Or still part of Altosk?" Mist asked. "He seems to be helping Brave Vesperia out an awful lot for someone belonging to another guild."

"He's still a member of Altosk," Yuri replied. "Still just me, Judy, Karol, and Repede. Plus a few new recruits."

"Rita hasn't joined?"

"Nope. Still being stubborn," Judith replied. She made her voice more high-pitched to match Rita's. "I wan't no part of your stupid little comedy act!" Ba'ul howled and Judith looked up. She spoke again, her voice back to normal. "Ba'ul's found a place to land."

"Good," Flynn said. He glanced over at Yuri. "Remember. No picking fights with people again. Got it?"

"I got it, Mom," Yuri sighed. "Your nagging is starting to annoy me." Flynn muttered something under his breath, shaking his head.

Ba'ul landed the Fiertia at the entrance to the village. Running toward the group once they got off were the last people they expected to see.

"The hell... Shu?!" Mist exclaimed, jaw dropping. Shu, Jiro, Kluke, Marumaro, Bouquet, and a silver-haired boy they didn't recognize stood in front of them.

"Judith!" Marumaro shouted, leaping at the Krityan. Judith smiled before her face hardened, pulling her arm back and thrusting it forward, sinking her fist deep into the Devee's face.

"Hello, Marumaro," Judith said coldly, brushing her hands against each other.

"Never expected to see you guys again," Yuri commented. "What happened?"

"Well, you see..." Kluke started.

- - - A few hours ago - - -

"So this is Talta Village, huh?" Andropov asked, glancing at Kluke.

"That's right. The place Shu and I grew up in," Kluke replied. An old man with a long gray beard and moustache and long spiky gray hair pulled back into a ponytail. He wore a red bandana on his head and had a light blue shirt with an orange sash around his waist and blue shorts.

"Hey, gramps!" Shu greeted, waving a hand. The man, Fushira[1], stopped in front of Shu, putting his hands on his hips.

"About time you came to visit, Shu," Fushira said. "I was beginning to worry you weren't gonna come back."

"Come on, gramps!" Shu exclaimed. "You know that I wouldn't forget to visit you. I've just been a little busy lately is all."

"And I see you brought your friends, too," Fushira commented. He looked over at Jiro. "Isn't that the kid who always had the sour attitude?"

"Yeah, that's Jiro alright," Shu replied with a nervous smile, noticing Jiro's eyebrow twitch when Fushira said that. Bouquet stepped forward.

"You remember me, right?" Bouquet asked. Fushira nodded, remembering when Shu had brought her to Talta Village after they defeated the Darkness.

"How could I forget Shu's cute little girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend..." Shu grumbled.

"Oh yeah, that's right. She's your fianceé!" Fushira laughed.

"Grandpa!" Shu shouted indignantly.

"Sorry, couldn't help myself," Fushira replied, still chuckling.

"Hey, grandpa. Have you heard that two towns had vanished?" Shu asked. Fushira grew serious.

"Yes I have. From what I've heard, they were swallowed in a black void."

"Well, the portals are still there," Shu said. "They look like Dimensional Breaks,"

"They're starting to go out of control," Kluke added. "More areas have been affected and they seem to be sucking in pieces of the planet itself."

"We want to know if any- -" Shu was cut off abruptly when screams sounded. A Dimensional Break had formed in the center of the village and was rapidly expanding. The next thing they knew, the entire village was enveloped in darkness.

- - - Present time - - -

"...And that's how we got here," Kluke finished.

"What places have already been sent here?" Flynn asked.

"Korin and Nirvana," Shu replied. "Two major cities in our world. Korin is home to the informants, and Nirvana is where the White Guardians and former members of the Jibral Royal Army are stationed."

"And now Talta Village is here," Kluke said. Then her eyes widened. "Hey! I wonder if Conrad, Danel, and Griz are here as well!"

"Come to think of it, the last time we saw them they said they were going to be staying in Nirvana," Bouquet said.

"What I'm concerned about is how much of your world is going to be transported here," Mist murmured, putting her hand to her chin. "Say the planet itself is dumped here."

"Then we're going to have a big problem," Flynn replied. "Terca Lumires is ruled by the Union and the Empire. If another ruling faction comes here, disputes may break out about who rules what."

"Too late," Jiro said. "Jibral used to be a ruling party, but it was destroyed by Nene three years ago. They've joined up with the White Guardians, increasing their influence on the world. And Rosekstan's another problem, though it seems they haven't been sent here yet. However it's only a matter of time before they become your problem as well."

"What do you mean 'our problem'? How is this Rosekstan trouble?" Yuri asked.

"They're bent on world domination," Shu replied. "They think they can create order in the world. Even if the methods aren't the same, they have the same goal that Nene did."

"So in other words, the leader is like another Alexei we have to deal with," Yuri grumbled. "Dammit, this is not funny."

"No kidding. We already have the guild to deal with," Mist agreed.

"I thought you and the guilds made up, maro," Marumaro said, cocking his head to the side.

"Ever since the mages of New Aspio discovered how to replace bohdi blastia, the arguments started up again," Flynn explained. "The guild say that because New Aspio is run by the Empire, we'll have a larger stock of blastia and find have the newest replacements before them. Before the Adephagos, blastia distribution was controlled by both factions, thanks to Ruins Gate digging up blastia from ruins. But since all the cores had been turned to spirits, Ruins Gate isn't needed anymore. And that's stirred up tentions once again."

"And that's not all the news," Yuri said, a grin spreading across his face as he glanced over at Flynn and Mist. They blinked at him in confusion and Yuri looked back at the Shadow Wielders. "Guess who recently got married."

"You and Estelle, maro?" Marumaro asked. Yuri narrowed his eyes.

"No, you idiot," he growled.

"No way!" Bouquet exclaimed. "I'm so happy for you, Flynn and Mist!"

"So when are you planning to have kids?" Shu asked. Mist landed a roundhouse to the side of his head.

"None of your damned business, you creep!" Mist screamed.

"Okay, I can't hold it in anymore. How do you know these guys?!" Andropov exclaimed.

"Remember what I told you, Andropov?" Kluke asked. "We were sent here a year ago by a Dimensional Break." Andropov jumped when Ba'ul howled. Judith looked up at the giant Entelexeia, her eyes narrowing.

"I got it," she said. She turned to the others. "Ba'ul felt another disturbance in the aer. Another piece of your world was sent here. It's located north of Dahngrest."

"So Karol and the old man would have noticed," Yuri said.

"Maybe we should go see Sui," Kluke suggested. "She may have an idea about why the Dimensional Breaks are going out of control in our world."

"You're right," Shu agreed.

"But do you even know where Korin is located now on Terca Lumires?" Mist asked, narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms. Shu sweatdropped and Jiro sighed.

"We know the locations of the two cities sent here," Flynn said. "We can go there, starting with the closest, which is located on the western shore of Zaphias. The second is just north of Mount Temza in Desier."

"So we're off to Zaphias then," Yuri said. "Let's get onboard, then."

Everyone boarded the Fiertia, with Andropov being hesitant at first. Ba'ul lifted off with a howl and started flying southwest, headed for Zaphias. Once the capital came into view, the Shadow Wielders came over to the side of the ship to look at it.

"Where's the barrier?" Shu asked. "Didn't you replace the blastia?"

"The mages haven't discovered how to replace barrier blastia yet. We would need power equaling an elemental spirit," Mist replied.

"My head's hurting. I have no idea what you guys are talking about!" Andropov exclaimed, clutching his head. "Blastia? Aer? Spirits? Someone explain to me what's going on!"

"Follow me into the ship's cabin, then," Kluke sighed. "I'll explain everything there." The two vanished inside the cabin and Flynn looked past the ship.

"We're here," he announced.

"That's Nirvana!" Shu exclaimed.

"Great. A ruling faction right next to the capital of the Empire," Mist grumbled.

"We could visit the White Guardians," Bouquet suggested. "And we may see Conrad there, too."

"Good idea," Shu agreed.

"Ba'ul!" Judith called up at the whale-like dragon. Ba'ul howled a reply and descended toward the castle in the city. As the Fiertia landed, soldiers flocked outside, readying their swords and guns.

"Looks like they're ready to attack us," Mist commented, glancing lazily at the crowd.

"Some of the Jibral soldiers are there, too!" Bouquet exclaimed. Soldiers mixed in still wore the uniform for the Jibral Royal Army.

"Look! It's Conrad!" Shu exclaimed.

"He must be the new commander for the White Guardians," Jiro said.

"Hey! Conrad! Don't worry! It's us!" Shu shouted. The soldiers looked up in suprise and lowered their weapons as the group got off the ship. Mist glanced around nervously.

"I dunno about this, Flynn," she whispered. "The air is full of tension. It feels like fighting will break out at the drop of a hat."

"I think you may be a little overcautious. It seems the army knows Shu and the others really well," Flynn replied.

"They don't know us very well, though," Yuri pointed out. His grip on Second Star tightened. The army parted to let a blonde haired man wearing a red uniform and a large sword on his back approach the group. Flynn narrowed his eyes and Mist's hand moved for the handle of Last Fencer. A couple soldiers saw this and held up their weapons.

"It's been awhile, Conrad," Shu said, ignoring everyone else.

"I didn't expect to see you here as well, Shu," Conrad replied. His blue eyes shifted to the people from Terca Lumires. "Who are all of you?"

"Same thing I wanted to ask you," Mist muttered.

"Hey! Watch your mouth in front of the Knight Master!" a soldier shouted.

"Oh put a sock in it!" Mist retorted. "I'll say whatever I please!"

"Why you!" the soldier growled, swinging his sword. Mist quickly pulled hers out and parried.

"Dragon Claw!" she shouted, breaking the parry and taking the soldier down with the burst of red energy. All the soldiers around her prepared to strike, but Conrad stopped them.

"Enough! All of you fall back this instant!" he ordered. The soldiers hesitated then obeyed. Conrad turned to the group. "Let's discuss this inside."

"Yes. It'll take the stress off if we're not surrounded," Flynn agreed. Mist huffed and sheathed her sword, following everyone else into the castle.

* * *

"So would you introduce yourselves to me?" Conrad asked after they entered a rom and sat at the large table there.

"My name is Flynn Scifo, Commandant of the Imperial Knights of Zaphias," Flynn replied. He gestured to Mist. "This is my second-in-command, Mist."

"You forgot to mention she's your wife as well," Yuri, who sat next to Mist, chuckled. Mist stomped down hard on his foot, getting a pained expression from Yuri.

"Will you shut the hell up?!" she exclaimed.

"I'm joking! I'm joking!" Yuri shouted. Mist removed her foot and Yuri rubbed it. "Your foot feels like a damn boulder! You're starting to remind me more and more of Rita, you know?" He turned back to Conrad. "Name's Yuri Lowell, by the way.

"And I'm Judith," Judith finished.

"I'm also curious about the dragon outside," Conrad said.

"He's my friend, Ba'ul," Judith replied. "He's an Entelexeia."

"En-tell-uh-what?" Conrad asked.

"Not En-tell-uh-what," Judith giggled. "En-tell-uh-kay-uh." She said each syllable seperately, as if talking to a little kid. Yuri chuckled at that and Mist kicked him on the back of his leg, making the violet haired man jump.

"Show a little respect," she hissed.

"I don't think you could emphasize that any more," Yuri grumbled. Mist let out a "tsk!" and turned back to Conrad.

"So you're a Knight as well, then," Flynn said.

"Not just any Knight. He's a Knight _Master_," Shu corrected.

"You can see he has a lot of respect for Corad," Mist whispered to Flynn.

"Are you a Knight Master as well?" Conrad asked.

"I honestly don't know how to answer that question," Flynn replied. "Although I am the highest ranking Knight in the Imperial Knights. Mist, being my second-in-command, is the second highest ranking Knight."

"So where's Griz and Danel?" Shu asked.

"They're investigating the world we have been sent to," Conrad replied.

"Who are they?" Mist asked.

"Griz is a Knight Master like me and Danel is an informant," Conrad said.

"So there can be more than one Knight Master?" Flynn asked.

"Correct," Conrad replied. "There is a Knight Master for each nation in our world. I was the Knight Master for Jibral. Perhaps we could work with you Imperial Knights."

"That's a good idea," Flynn agreed.

"We can talk more later. For now, I need to see Sui in Korin," Conrad said, standing up.

"Hey, we were going to be going to Korin too!" Shu exclaimed. "You should come with us!"

"Thank you," Conrad replied.

"Let's go then. Ba'ul is waiting for us," Judith said.

"Sure you can leave just like this?" Flynn asked.

"Don't worry about it," Conrad replied. "We should head out now."

"So it's off to Desier, then," Yuri said. "Let's move."

* * *

**[1] Fushira is from the three Blue Dragon games. Even though he's never seen in the anime version, it's hinted that he exists in it. At the end of episode 2 of season 1 where Shu, Jiro, and Zola are about to leave and are stopped by Kluke and the three boys, Shu tells Kluke to "take care of gramps" before Kluke declares she's coming along.**


	2. Korin

The flight to Desier felt like it was taking forever. Flynn and Mist yakking away with Conrad was giving Yuri a headache. He needed to resist the urge to chuck a rock or something at them to get them to finally shut up.

"So what made you want to become a Knight Master?" Mist was asking Conrad.

"My father was one and I thought it just ran in the family," Conrad replied.

"Flynn's father was in the Knights as well!" Mist exclaimed.

"So is that why you joined the Knights?" Conrad asked.

"No. Yuri and I joined together to try changing the Empire," Flynn replied. "The laws were treating the people of the lower quarter unfairly. Yuri and I grew up in the lower quarter, so we know firsthand just how bad it was."

Conrad turned to Mist. "And you?"

"The pay seemed nice," Mist replied. "And I didn't really have anything else to do. When I joined, I was placed in the Jurgis Brigade, where I first met Flynn. I was picked on a lot since I didn't have a very impressive background. I was orphaned at a young age and I don't remember my parents. I traveled around a lot and eventually wound up in Zaphias. They must've thought I had no skills whatsoever because of that. The twins Chastel and Hisca were nice at least. But I guess it was because we were the only girls in the brigade."

Yuri blinked a few times. He'd never heard Mist's story before since she never talked about it. He thought she was a noble because of her skills with a sword and blastia. Traveling all over must've toughened her up.

"Remember our first mission together?" Flynn asked, turning to Mist.

"How could I forget?" Mist replied.

- - - Flashback - - -

"For this job you all will partner up and fan out to take care of the monster pack here in the Quoi Woods," Jurgis said. "They've scattered throughout the forest, probably waiting in ambush. The leader is a Chimera Butterfly, a Giganto Monster. If you encounter it, slay it immediately. The other monsters in the pack should become disoriented when that happens, making them easier to wipe out. If we're lucky, this job'll be done in three days. You all should have remembered to pack camping sets and medical supplies in case of an emergency. All of you be on your guard on this mission. Even if these aren't like the monsters in Shizontonia, they're still dangerous. I want no one dying on my watch. Watch each others backs. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!" Everyone shouted.

"Good. Now partner up and spread out!" Jurgis ordered. Mist turned to Chastel, the bustier of the twins. However, she'd already partnered with her sister Hisca. The two saw her and mouthed "Sorry!"

Looking around, she saw that just about everyone else had paired up and headed out. She was about to go head out on her own when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned and saw a man with spiky blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She recognized him from her first day, but couldn't remember his name.

"You're Mist, correct?" he asked. Mist nodded.

"I'm sorry, but I can't remember your name," she said.

"Oh, it's Flynn Scifo," he replied. He looked around. "Looks like we have to partner together. Mist realized then that everyone else had already left. "Don't worry. I'll protect you."

Mist narrowed her eyes. "I don't need protecting. Just leave me alone!"

Flynn's eyes widened and he took a few steps back. "Woah! No need to get angry. I was just trying to be nice."

Mist brushed a strand of silver hair out of her eyes. "Yeah right. Why the hell should I believe you? I'm not helpless, you know! I can take care of myself just fine! I don't care if you're senior to me, I won't allow you to treat me like dead weight!" Her gaze switched to the ground. "I'm fed up with everyone treating me like I'm useless..."

Flynn placed a hand on her shoulder and Mist brushed it away, golden eyes flaring. Flynn sighed. "I know some of the others have given you a hard time, but that doesn't mean you should be giving everyone the cold shoulder."

This just made Mist angrier. "Enough treating me like I'm a little kid!" she shouted. She landed a kick to Flynn's stomach, making the man stumble back as she turned and ran off into the forest.

'_He doesn't know a thing about me!' _Mist thought, gritting her teeth in anger. '_He's just like everyone else!' _

A wolf leaped at her and she lashed out with her sword, ripping its belly open and blood spashing all over the undergrowth. Mist panted, feeling satisfaction in the blood dripping from her sword.

An Axe Beak was the next to come at her, striking down with the axe-shaped beak. Mist held her sword up to block them pushed the monster away. While it was staggered, she charged at it.

"Sonic Thrust!" she shouted, running the monster through with astonishing speed. One thing she wasn't prepared for was the Eggbear swinging its paw at her from behind. Something shoved her into some ferns and then there was the sound of something hitting a tree. Mist looked over to see Flynn on the ground at the base of one of the trees, claw marks scored across his back and right arm.

_'He...he saved me!' _Mist thought, astonished. _'But why...?'_

Flynn's sides heaved as he fought for breath, struggling to get back to his feet. The Eggbear had turned its attention to him. Flynn was finally standing again, using the tree for support, but the monster was already in front of him and shot one paw forward, pinning Flynn against the tree while the claws slowly dug into his chest. Blood dripped from his mouth as the blondeglared at the monster, trying to get free. The Eggbear roared in his face, its breath stinking of blood and carrion.

"Aqua Laser!"

The claws piercing Flynn's chest left abruptly as a jet of water sent the Eggbear flying. Flynn dropped into a sitting position and switched his gaze to Mist, who had a blue magic circle under her.

Mist shot forward as the Eggbear got up, bringing her sword down. "Rising Dragon!" She pulled her sword upward, taking the bear into the air and she leaped up, slashing her sword multiple times before bringing it down, knocking the dead monster to the ground. She landed and turned to Flynn.

"That's the proper way to take care of a monster." She walked over to him and bent down. "Why'd you do that?"

"We're partners," Flynn choked out, blood spilling out of his mouth again. Mist sighed, pulling her bag off and opening it up, taking the medical supplies out.

"...Idiot," she muttered. "Take your armor and tunic off so we can get this over with."

Flynn did as he was told, though with difficulty thanks to his wounds. Once he got it off, he glanced up at Mist. "Did your face get sunburnt?" Her face was bright red and she made a small noise in the back of her throat. She began sweating heavily and her eyes were wide as she stared at him. "Mist?"

"I...I...I..." she stuttered. Seeing him shirtless made her reach her breaking point. She blinked a few times, snapping out of her trance and shook her head. She quickly began disinfecting the wounds, her face getting redder as her hands were brushing over his muscles. A few more noises sounded in her throat and she began wrapping the bandages around him, relaxing a tiny bit, but the image of the muscular body hidden under the armor and tunic was etched into her mind. She was bad when it came to boys, but this was ridiculous! She hardly knew him and she was already falling for him!

Once she was done, she slapped herself a few times to snap her out of her trance, earning a confused stare from Flynn. She pulled out the camping set in a hurry. "Better set up camp!" She laughed nervously.

"Are...you okay?" Flynn asked.

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" Mist replied quickly, breaking out into another sweat as she set up the basic barrier. She finished setting up the tent and turned to Flynn. "It's about time to sleep." Her gaze shifted downward. "And...thanks for helping."

"You were pretty skilled," Flynn said, making his way into the tent. Mist followed him in and sat next to him."I didn't expect to see you fight so well."

"That's what everyone thinks of me," Mist murmured. Flynn stared at her as she continued. "I'm not nobility and I'm not from Zaphias. I don't even remember who my parents were! Because of this, everyone assumes I'm just some weak, pathetic little girl."

"Not everyone," Flynn said. Mist stared at him in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"I never judged you by your appearance or background. I'm from Zaphias's lower quarter, so I know what you mean by people judging you by that. I've also noticed you don't really have any friends in the brigade besides Chastel and Hisca. If you want, we could become friends."

"Thanks, Flynn," Mist murmured.

- - - End Flashback - - -

"I never told you this, Flynn, but that was when I first began to love you," Mist said.

"Same here," Flynn replied, both leaning in for a kiss.

"Could you take your public displays of affection elsewhere so the rest of us don't have to suffer?" Jiro called out. The two kept kissing, except for the fact that Mist released one arm that was wrapped around Flynn to give Jiro the middle finger. Shu broke out laughing as Jiro's eyes widened.

"I kinda agree with Jiro," Yuri said to Judith. "It's starting to get old watching them do that at the most awkward times."

"Really? I think it's adorable," Judith replied. "Just look at how much they love each other!"

"What I'm worried about are kids," Yuri said with a shudder. "I would never get used to being called Uncle Yuri. It just sounds wrong."

"I agree with you there," Judith giggled. "But don't you think Aunt Judith sounds cute. Or does Aunt Judy sound better? Or maybe Auntie Judy?"

"They all sound wrong..." Yuri sighed. "What goes on in that head or yours, I'll never know."

"I don't think you want to know either," Judith said, smiling.

"We've reached our destination!" Tokunaga shouted. Everyone prepared to get off as Ba'ul landed in Korin. They got off and started walking into the city, people milling around them.

"Where will we find this Sui?" Mist asked.

"In her mansion, most likely," Shu replied. "Or disguised as one of the townspeople."

"Huh?" Yuri said.

"Hey! There she is!" Bouquet exclaimed. A woman wearing a yellow shirt and her hair in two buns came running up to them, panting when she reached them.

"Why aren't you waiting for us like you usually do, maro?" Marumaro asked.

"Because the information I have is too important to wait for," Sui replied.

* * *

"What's this information you have?" Conrad asked.

"It's about the reason for our world being sucked into this one," Sui replied. "Our two worlds at one point were actually a single one. After the Darkness was sealed, it formed a gigantic Dimensional Break, sucking half the world into it. Both planets reformed, existing side-by-side yet unaware of the other's presence up until now. Now it's trying to recombine once again.

"But why?" Mist asked.

"I don't know. Something triggered the Dimensional Breaks to appear. And according to what I've read, this is the second time in history it tried to form again. The first was over a thousand years ago."

"Something in Terca Lumires must've triggered it, then," Flynn said.

"Hold on," Mist said. "The Empire was formed over a thousand years ago by the Children of the Full Moon after they sealed away the Adephagos. The aer imbalance must be causing this!"

"In other words, the formation of the Adephagos," Yuri summarized. Ba'ul's howl was heard and Judith's eyes widened.

"Two more towns have appeared!" she exclaimed. Ba'ul howled again. "No, make that three!" The Entelexeia howled once more. "No, six!"

"Just as I thought. The recombination is speeding up," Sui said.

"Where are they located?" Flynn asked Judith.

"West of Zaude, east of the Blade Drifts of Zopheir, next to Nam Cobanda Isle, below Capua Nor, south of Hypionia, and north of Weccea."

"How long until they're completely recombined?" Kluke asked.

"My estimate is a week," Sui replied. "I'm worried about conflict breaking out, though."

"Us too," Shu said. "If another war happens, it'll be bad news for all of us."

"Maybe we could have all the leaders of both worlds gather together to talk about what's going to happen from here on," Flynn suggested.

"You're right. That's an excellent idea," Conrad agreed.

"I wonder if one of the towns that were just transported her was Lago Village, maro," Marumaro said.

"Lago Village?" Mist asked.

"My hometown, maro," Marumaro replied.

"Don't worry, Marumaro. I'm sure everyone there is safe," Bouquet assured the Devee.

"There is one problem, though," Jiro said. Everyone stared at him.

"What do you mean?" Kluke asked.

"Rosekstan," Jiro replied. "I highly doubt Logi would come to the meeting."

"General Logi isn't like that!" Andropov protested.

"Andropov..." Kluke murmured.

"Why are you still supporting him?" Jiro demanded.

"Jiro, that's enough," Kluke said, narrowing her eyes at him. Jiro's widened and he looked away. Kluke glanced at Andropov. "Please calm down."

"Yes. The last thing we need is fighting amongst ourselves if we want to prevent the world from fighting," Flynn said.

"Before we do any of that, I want to see if Lago Village is here, maro!" Marumaro exclaimed.

"Why are you so intent on going to your village?" Yuri asked.

"Yeah, I've never heard you so insistent about it," Shu added.

"I guess there's no point in hiding it anymore, maro," Marumaro said.

"Hiding what?" Bouquet asked.

"It's two of my six siblings, maro," Marumaro replied. "Marumira and Marutora, maro."

"Isn't Marumira one of your three sisters and Marutora one of your three brothers?" Shu asked.

"What about them?" Jiro asked.

"They're..."

"They're what?" Bouquet asked.

"They're..."

"Just say it, Marumaro!" Shu, Jiro, Kluke, Bouquet, and Andropov all said. The others remained silent.

"They're Shadow Wielders, maro!"

* * *

**As you can see, I'm adding a bit of Blue Dragon Plus once again. This time it's with Marumira and Marutora having magic.**


	3. The Great One

"Marumira and Marutora are Shadow Wielders?!" Shu exclaimed. "How in the world is that possible?!"

"We need to see if Lago Village is here after all, then," Kluke said.

"I'll stay here and talk to Sui," Conrad said. "You all do what you need to."

"We'll need to search Terca Lumires entirely," Judith murmured. "The pieces are scattered all over."

"Think Ba'ul will be able to handle all that flying?" Yuri asked.

"He should be fine," Judith replied. "He's stronger than he looks, you know."

"We'd better be careful if we do encounter the two," Jiro pointed out. "They probably won't have control over their Shadows and may unintentionally attack us."

"Let's head out then. We're wasting daylight just talking," Mist said, boarding the Fiertia. She was followed by the others. With a howl, Ba'ul took off, flying away from Korin.

* * *

Night fell and still no luck finding Lago Village. They had two more towns to find and would continue the search tomorrow. Ba'ul set the ship down on the shoreline of Yurzorea, the Entelexeia settling down on the grass, falling asleep quickly.

As there were only two beds in the ship's cabin, most of the group had to sleep outside. Judith wandered the ship, giggling when she saw Flynn and Mist asleep together just outside the cabin. Mist had her hands resting on Flynn's chest while Flynn had his arms wrapped around her, holding her close. His chin was resting on the top of her head while Mist had her face buried in his chest. Judith smirked at the pranks she could pull on them.

"I wouldn't try anything funny if I were you," Yuri said as he walked up to Judith. "You know Mist'll kill you in a heartbeat." He looked over at the sleeping form of Ba'ul. "Guess we wore him out. Never seen him so exhausted."

"He'll be fine," Judith replied. "He enjoys doing everything he can to help out."

"Still hard to believe our world is merging with another," Yuri murmured. "I doubt things'll go smoothly with the people."

"I agree," Judith said. "Someone like Alexei could appear to instigate a war between our two worlds."

"Exactly," Yuri agreed. "Another Great War could begin."

"If that happens, the Entelexeia may decide to get involved as well," Judith said grimly. "Even if this may not be a battle over blastia, it could still endanger the world. Which is why we must prevent that from happening at all costs."

"Maybe we could have Peacemaker over there talk to everyone," Yuri said, glancing at Flynn. "Once we're done looking for Marumaro's village, we should go pick up the others to discuss our game plan."

"Right," Judith replied. She yawned, stretching her arms. "Well, I'm turning in. What about you?"

"I think I'll do the same," Yuri said. "We've got a big day tomorrow."

* * *

"There's Lago Village, maro!" Marumaro shouted, pointing over the side of the Fiertia. They were flying over Dahngrest when Marumaro noticed it.

"Finally!" Shu sighed. Ba'ul landed at the entrance, everyone getting off. As soon as they did, they were approached by two Devee, a male and female.

"Where have you been Marumaro?!" the female demanded, storming up to Marumaro.

"I just visited Shu and Kluke's village, Mom," Marumaro replied.

"Marutora and Marumira have been wanting you to help them with their Shadows, Marumaro," his dad said.

"That's actually why we came here," Kluke said, walking over. Marumaro's mom looked over her shoulder.

"Kids! Your big brother's here!" she hollered. Six Devee children playing together suddenly looked up and dashed over as soon as they saw Marumaro.

"Where have you been, mini?" one girl asked.

"I told you, Marumini, I went with the others, maro," Marumaro replied.

"You promised you'd show us how to use our Shadows, tora!" a boy exclaimed.

"That's right, mira!" another girl added.

"Marutora, Marumira calm down, maro!" Marumaro said, backing up.

"It's not fair you get to have Shadows, but not the rest of us, fini," another pouted.

"Marufini's fight, poni," the fifth agreed. "Right, Marupino?"

"Right, Maruponi!" Marupino replied angrily. Marumira and Marutora stuck their tongues at the two.

"Ugh, they're giving me a headache!" Mist exclaimed, grabbing her head. "Any of you kids who aren't Shadow Wielders, _get the hell out of here this instant!_"

There were a few startled gasps from the six little Devee but they obeyed, leaving Marumira and Marutora with the group.

"We can summon our Shadows on our own, tora!" Marutora proclaimed proudly.

"For real?" Bouquet asked.

"Kraken's really nice to me, tora," Marutora explained.

"So's Cerberus, mira!" Marumira added.

"Well, let's see them, then," Jiro said. The brother and sister were surrounded in a blue aura, a red octopus-like Shadow with a black shell coming from Marutora and Marumira produced a dark brown Cerberus holding a large bone in one hand and three leashes connected to each collar in the other.

"We just need help with using their power, mira," Marumira said.

"You aren't seriously expecting to be going in battle, are you?" Andropov scoffed.

"You just need to practice with your Shadows," Shu explained. "You'll learn eventually."

"But we want to learn right now, tora!" Marutora protested.

"We don't have time for this," Yuri grumbled. "Sorry, but we need to go now."

"Can we go too, mira?" Marumira asked.

"It would be good training," Cerberus pointed out.

"Sorry, but our group is gonna get bigger and I really don't wanna deal with a ton of people," Yuri replied. "And you two would be a burden to us since you can't fight."

"What if we did, tora?" Marutora asked.

"Then maybe you could come along. But we need to leave right away," Yuri said, turning to the Fiertia.

"I've got an idea," Kluke said. "Marumaro could stay behind to train them. When he's done, they could join up with us."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Mist agreed.

"Got it, maro! I'll see you guys later, maro!" Marumaro said.

"Let's go to Dahngrest, then," Yuri said.

* * *

"I wonder if it was a good idea to leave Marumaro behind," Kluke said.

"If you ask me, it was the greatest idea ever," Mist replied. "Now we have one less pervert to worry about. Unfortunately, we're about to pick up another."

"Get ready," Yuri called out. "We've reached Dahngrest." Ba'ul landed the Fiertia and everyone got off, crossing the bridge into Dahngrest. Almost at once, glares from guildmen were shot at them. A couple came over. Their clothing suggested they were from the Blood Alliance.

"Well well," one said. "You Knights have a lot of nerve showing your faces in these parts." Flynn and Mist narrowed their eyes. Yuri walked up to the two men.

"Pick a fight with them and you pick a fight with me. Are we clear?" Yuri growled.

"And why the hell should we listen to a thing you say?" the other retorted.

"Guess we have to do this the hard way then," Yuri replied, drawing Second Star out. The two guildmen hestiated, then turned around and walked away.

"Tsk! Fine, we'll let you go this time. But next time'll be different. You can be sure of that!" one called out as Yuri put his sword back.

"I've never seen guildmen this hostile, even with the running tensions," Mist said.

"The Blood Alliance has been crankier than usual ever since they were kicked from the five master guilds. Everyone is having to put up with them," Yuri explained. "They're starting to become a real pain in the ass."

"I can see that," Bouquet murmured.

"Judy and I will head for the Union headquarters," Yuri said. "You guys just hang back. There may be others trying to pick a fight with the Empire." He and Judy set off for the north part of town while the others hung back on the bridge.

A few minutes passed and they heard footsteps coming their way. "Never expected to see you guys so soon."

"Conrad?!" Shu exclaimed.

"Didn't we just part ways yesterday?" Mist asked.

"Well, I wanted to get some information on Terca Lumires and heard a group of people who research the world were here," Conrad explained.

"Oh, the Surveyor's Guild," Flynn said. "They collect information gathered on the world. You can get just about any kind of information from them."

"So they're like informants in a sense?" Kluke asked.

"Correct," Mist replied. Conrad headed over to a man flipping through a book. The two talked for a bit and Conrad headed back over. Judging from the man's scowl, it didn't go too well.

"They seem to think I'm with the Imperial Knights," Conrad explained.

"Maybe you should talk with the mages at New Aspio," Mist suggested. She turned her head. "Look who's back." Coming toward them were Yuri and Judith, accompanied by Karol and Raven.

"If it ain't the cute couple!" Raven exclaimed, flashing a grin at Flynn and Mist. Mist walked over to him and leaned her mouth to his ear.

"Shut up, or I'll kill you," she hissed. A shiver ran up Raven's spine as Mist turned without another word and walked back to stand next to Flynn.

"Yuri and Judith explained what was happening," Karol said. "I just can't believe our world is joining with another."

"Rita and Lady Estellise need to hear about this as well," Flynn said. "We should head for New Aspio first."

"Could I accompany you as well?" Conrad asked. "I wish to ask the mages a few things."

"Of course you can!" Karol replied.

"Hooray..." Yuri mumbled without much enthusiasm.

* * *

Upon crossing over Ehmead Hill, the weather suddenly turned violent. Lighning lit up the sky and rain battered the ship as Ba'ul struggled to fly through the strong winds.

"The weather sure changed in a hurry," Mist gritted out, shielding her face with her arms against the onslaught of rain. "What the hell is going on?!"

"Undine must be pissed off or something," Yuri replied.

"Now's not the time for jokes, Yuri!" Karol shouted over the thunder. The boom shook the ship so violently that everyone almost fell over.

"Son of a- - Woah!" Mist fell back as a flash of lightning directly in front of the ship startled her, causing her to fall back. Flynn caught her in time, his head turned away from the rain.

"I don't think it's a good idea for us to be flying in this weather!" he shouted, his voice almost drowned out by the wind.

"Gee, wonder how long it took ya ta figure that out!" Raven called out.

"We need to find someplace to land, and fast!" Yuri exclaimed.

"I can't see a thing with all this rain, and neither can Ba'ul!" Judith replied, looking over the side of the ship, shielding her eyes. "There's a chance we could land the ship right on top of the mountains!"

"Hey, what's that?!" Shu exclaimed, pointing past the ship. A dark shape was circling the sky.

"Is that a dragon?" Bouquet asked.

"It could be an Entelexeia," Yuri replied.

"Ba'ul?" Judith asked. Ba'ul howled a reply. "Ba'ul doesn't recognize it, but it seems to be an Entelexeia. But something's off about it."

"_Nymuer ve jaka. Yth di wer jennu Entelexeia tepoha lleisgartor de hesi vdri," _a voice boomed.

"It's talking!" Kluke exclaimed.

"Yeah, but what's it saying?" Flynn asked.

"'Hear me now. We of the great Entelexeia have risen from our sleep,'" Mist said. Everyone stared at her and the Entelexeia spoke again.

"_Si mi Jennuir, wer zezhuarnth sissth di wer treskri ghoros Alrodoh."_

"'I am Jennuir, the ancient ruler of the world before Alrodoh'. Jennuir means 'Great One'," Mist explained after translating.

_"Wer treskri ui thirkuir vir yth Entelexeia geou nakta gavir."_

"'The world is changing and we Entelexeia will keep order.'"

_"Nomeno geou qe dout cotuir: Tikil svaust relekihl udoka nishka loreat."_

"'This will be your warning: Any who challenge us shall die.'" Mist finished translating grimly. Jennuir roared and flew off, vanishing in the dark clouds. At that moment, the storm cleared up, sunlight piercing the clouds and lighting up the ground below. Ba'ul found a spot to land in front of New Aspio. Once everyone got off, Yuri spoke up.

"How the hell did you know what he was saying?!"

"He was speaking Draconian[1], an ancient language used by the civilization long before the Gerios. I studied it during my free time," Mist explained.

"What he said sounded like a threat," Conrad said.

"The Entelexeia have always kept balance in the world. Jennuir was probably trying to announce it to the people of the other world not to mess with them," Mist replied.

"I dunno," Raven said. "Ya said that he was speakin' a language used before the Gerios Civilization. Ya'd think he'd adapt ta our language by now."

"He spoke of waking up," Flynn said. "He may have been in hibernation like several other Entelexeia."

"But that was at the end of the Gerios Civilization," Judith pointed out. "The Draconian language was no longer used then."

"So you're saying another group of Entelexeia fell into slumber before those ones?" Kluke asked.

"It's possible," Judith replied.

"Well, he was certainly speaking loud enough for the entire world to be able to hear him," Yuri said. "I've got a bad feeling about this..."

* * *

New Aspio was even busier than Aspio had been. Mages were rushing back and forth, arms full of papers and books. The group was almost trampled in the rush.

"Aw hell. How are we gonna find Rita?" Yuri groaned. A mage dashed past him and Yuri grabbed him by the hood of his cloak.

"What the hell are you doing?!" the mage exclaimed, struggling to get free.

"Where's Mordio?" Yuri demanded.

"What do you want with that weirdo?!" the mage asked. "She's on the second story, in a hut to your left once you get to the top of the stairs."

"Thanks," Yuri replied, releasing the mage. The person straightened the hood out and dashed off.

"Don't you think you could be a little less rough when asking questions?" Flynn said.

"I doubt the guy would've stopped and listened unless I was positive I had his full attention," Yuri replied with a shrug. Flynn muttered something under his breath and they went up the glass-like stairs of the tower. Just like the mage had said, a hut was to their left.

"Well, let's go in and say hi," Yuri said, opening the door. At once, a fireball shot out at him and he sidestepped just in time to dodge it. "H-hey! It's me! It's me!"

Rita looked up in the middle of casting another firebal spell. "Oh, hi."

"Why the hell did you attack?!" Yuri demanded, storming into the hut, followed by everyone else.

"I thought you were another annoying mage coming in to bug me about the world unifying with another," Rita replied.

"That was still no reason to try killing me," Yuri grumbled. Conrad came over to the mage.

"My name is Conrad, a Knight Master of Nirvana." Conrad said. "I've come to ask about your world, Terca Lumires."

"Not much to talk about ever since we gave up the blastia a year ago," Rita replied. "Although, we are coming up with ways to replace them. Barrier blastia will be the most difficult, since we need a large amount of power. We're thinking of somehow using mana instead of spirits. But putting that aside, what was going on outside? My eardrums were almost blasted out."

"An Entelexeia by the name of Jennuir was talking," Mist replied. "He declared that he and the Entelexeia were the rulers of the world."

"That's pretty much what the Entelexeia have been saying for ages," Rita said. "Why announce it?"

"He seems to be one from a time before the Gerios Civilization," Judith explained. "Origin may be able to shed some light on this, since Jennuir mentioned Alrodoh."

"We should pick up Estelle and talk about this as a group," Yuri said.

"By the way, where's the perverted little cat?" Rita asked.

"He's in his village training a brother and sister to use their Shadows," Shu explained.

"That's good to hear. One's bad enough as it is," Rita replied, shooting a glare at Raven. Raven's eyes went wide and he backed up a few steps, unsure what the mage would do.

"We should head for Halure, then," Flynn said.

* * *

Halure's tree was in full bloom, petals falling gently to the ground around the group as they entered the City of Blossoms. Walking up the path to the giant tree, they saw a large group of children gathered around Estelle, who was reading a fairy tale to them. She closed the book and looked up, a smile breaking across her face.

"Everyone!" She exclaimed, dashing over to them, giving Yuri a giant hug, making Mist snicker. When she released Yuri, she fixed her worried eyes on everyone. "Do you know what that was a while ago?"

"An Entelexeia by the name of Jennuir," Judith replied. She explained everything about what was going on to the princess.

"So another group of Entelexeia have appeared," Estelle murmured when Judith finished. "I'll go with you."

"Glad to hear that," Yuri said with a smile. A scream made everyone turn.

"Monsters!" Going back down the path, they saw all the townspeople fleeing the monsters that were flooding the town.

"They must have become agitated by Jennuir's appearance," Rita said, casting Spiral Flare on a Rhinossus that charged at her.

"_O seething fire, be as a holy beast to devour the wicked...Flame Dragon!" _Mist shouted, completing her fire spell. A dragon of flames shot out, engulfing the monsters in its path in flames. Behind her, Flynn cast Holy Lance on a Treant.

"_Strength dwell in this blade...Sharpness!" _Estelle called out. Ahead of her, power engulfed Yuri's katana, making it more powerful. He shot out at a Gattusso Cub, easily slicing its head off.

"Blue Explosion!" Shu shouted. The energy beam obliterated several monsters.

"Poison Claw!" Bouquet shouted, having transformed into a Gattusso that attacked her with the same attack. She lashed out with poison coated claws, scoring the large monster's flank. She shot her sharp tail at it, another attack used against her, to blind it. Gattusso howled in pain, allowing Minotaur to finish it off with Conquer.

"Everyone stand back!" Rita shouted. Everyone nodded, moving behind her as a magic circle appeared. "_I who stand in the full light of the heavens call upon thee who openith the gates of hell. Come forth, divine lightning!" _Rings of light encircled the monsters, leading up to the darkening sky. Light shined through the middle of the rings to the ground. "This ends now!" Lightning struck all the monsters in the circle, Rita shouting "Indignation!" at the same time[2].

The blast shook the ground, dislodging boulders balanced on the top of the hill above them. They fell toward the ground, where a small girls stared fearfully upward.

"Shit!" Mist exclaimed. Flynn shot forward, but Conrad was closer. The Knight Master grabbed the girl, shielding her with his body. Just before the boulders landed, a blue light shone from Conrad and dust filled the area as the boulders landed.

"Conrad!" Shu shouted. The dust cleared and everyone's eyes widened. Conrad was still over the girl, unscathed. He looked up and stared. Looming over Conrad, shielding the two, was a white furred kirin with silver scales in certain areas on its body and a golden horn on the top of its head[3].

"Are you okay?" the kirin asked, his voice deep.

"Conrad...you..." Kluke gasped. Conrad got up, looking down and seeing the bottom of the kirin connected to him.

"A Shadow...?" Andropov murmured.

"My name is Kirin," the Shadow said. "You are the one who summoned me, correct?"

"I can't believe Conrad has a Shadow too," Kluke said. Conrad just continued to stare jaw-dropped at Kirin.

"Call upon me if you are in need of my assistance once again," Kirin said before vanishing in a blue light.

"I...I..." Conrad stammered. The little girl he shielded looked up at him.

"Thank you so much for saving me," she said.

"Y-you're welcome," Conrad replied, still shaken up. A woman ran over, embracing the girl.

"Oh, Alice! I'm so glad you're safe!" she exclaimed. She looked up at Conrad. "I can't thank you enough for saving my little girl." She stood up, holding Alice's hand, and walked back over to the other townspeople. The few monsters that survived fled the town. The mayor walked over to the group.

"Once again, you've saved Halure," he said. "I can't even begin to express my gratitude"

"Don't sweat it," Yuri replied. "We just happened to arrive to pick up Estelle."

"I...I need to go back to Nirvana..." Conrad said, one hand on his head. "I just need to comprehend what just happened."

"Well, come back when you're ready," Shu said.

"Yes, I'll see you all later," Conrad replied, heading out of Halure.

* * *

"So what do we do now?" Andropov asked. Everyone was on the Fiertia.

"We should find where Origin is," Judith replied. "He may know more about Jennuir."

"That's gonna be hard," Yuri commented. "The spirits tend to be invisible most of the time."

"Does Ba'ul know where he is?" Mist asked.

"I'm afraid not, but the other elemental spirits might," Judith replied.

"If only they were still with us," Karol said. "They went off on their own after the Adephagos was destroyed."

"Perhaps we should split up," Flynn suggested. "The Shadow Wielders could go in one group, Mist and I will go in the second, and the rest would be in the third."

"That's a good idea, but where should we even begin looking?" Jiro asked.

"Undine may be in the Blade Drifts of Zopheir, Efreet may be on Phaeroh's Crag, and Sylph could be in Relewise Hollow," Mist replied.

"What about Gnome?" Estelle asked.

"Don't you remember? He can't talk and only Sylph can translate what he says," Rita said.

"Mist and Flynn should go to the Blade Drifts of Zophier," Yuri said. "Since they'l have no way of getting to Relewise Hollow or Phaeroh's Crag. Efreet may be the toughest to deal with, so we'll go. And you Shadow Wielders could fly up to Relewise Hollow on your Shadows. It's on the continent of Weccea, a raised chain of canyons to the south of Zaphias. In the center, there should be a rock arch. Directly bellow is Relewise Hollow and at the bottom is a cave leading to the oldest spring in the world."

"And don't touch the water in there," Rita warned.

"Why not?" Bouquet asked.

"It's not actually water. It's highly dense aer. Touching it will kill you at its density," Rita explained. Bouquet gulped, sweat running down her face.

"Does everyone know what they need to do?" Yuri asked. Everyone nodded. "We'll meet up in Aurnion. If we don't find anything, we can plan out our next move. Now let's head out."

* * *

**[1] I play Skyrim and there's a dragon language on it. I went online and found a draconic translator.**

**[2] I know the version of Tales of Vesperia I'm using isn't the PS3 one, but I couldn't resist putting Indignation in there. I can't wait for the English patch to finally come out.**

**[3] Yet another Blue Dragon Plus element I'm putting in here. People who've played the game would know that King Jibral is Conrad in the anime. So I gave him the Kirin Shadow.**


	4. Searching for the Spirits

**Sorry it took me so long to update. School started back up again and I'm becoming busy again, so updates may take longer. I'll become even busier when I join the play.**

* * *

"Mist, I know we're headed for the Blade Drifts of Zopheir...but is it really necessary to pack all of that?" Flynn asked, pointing to what Mist had packed. The two had returned to Zaphias Castle to prepare for the trip to Zopheir. "What about your armor?"

"I'm leaving it behind. Last thing I want is to have freezing armor on me," Mist replied. "It'll be hard enough to keep warm as it is." She hoisted her bag over her shoulder. "Let's go then."

"What all do you even have in there?" Flynn asked as the two headed outside.

"A camping set, medical kit, food, and a few blankets," Mist replied. "Plus the coat I'm wearing. I just hope we find Undine quickly."

"If she's even there," Flynn pointed out. A boat on Zaphias's shore was waiting for the two Knights. The ship set off, heading north for the drifts.

"The sooner we get this done, the better," Mist said as they went past Nor and Torim Harbor. "I'll flip if Undine has no idea where Origin is."

"Just please try to stay calm," Flynn replied. The ship was forced to dock at the beginning of the ice floe chain. Flynn and Mist got off, heading for the center where the Blade Drifts would begin. Icy wind howled around them and the temperature seemed to drop with each passing second.

"D-damn it's c-c-cold..." Mist gritted out, her teeth chattering. She focused her gaze straight ahead. "W-we'd better be almost th-th-there." She glanced over at Flynn, who was wearing a cloak over his armor. He wasn't showing many signs of being cold. "I d-don't get how y-you're d-d-doing s-so well..."

"T-trust me, I'm just as c-cold as you are," Flynn replied. He paused, drawing his sword. "Get ready."

A Lupice was dashing at them, teeth bared and snarling. Mist quickly drew Last Fencer, she and Flynn leaping out of the way of the wolf. They finished it with a combination of Demon Fang and Dragon Claw.

"There's more!" Mist warned, noticing three more Lupices heading in their direction. She performed Hornet Sting on the first one that leaped at her and followed it up with Sonic Thrust to kill the second. Flynn finished the last one with Sword Rain: Alpha. Continuing on, they encountered several swords stuck in the ice.

"Looks like we've reached the Blade Drifts," Flynn said.

"About time, too," Mist replied.

"Just be careful," Flynn warned. "This is the area where most of the monsters are gathered."

"I know," Mist said. "Looks like there's a Predafish just up ahead. I wonder if there's a way around it." The shark monster was ambling around on two fins, looking around for prey. It didn't seem to notice Flynn and Mist as they snuck around it, keeping close to the ground.

Right when they thought they were in the clear, a Teethee sprung out of the icy waters, a fish clamped in its jaws. It took one look at the two Knights and let out a cry. The Predafish spun around, locking its beady eyes on the two. The Teethee dropped its prey and ambled over, brandishing its weapons. A Boost Merfish noticed the commotion and joined in, hooks raised for an attack. The three monsters surrounded the two Knights, ready to strike.

"What horrid luck!" Mist growled, throwing her bag off and her grip on Last Fencer tightening.

"Now's not the time for complaining," Flynn replied. He held his sword up to block one of the Boost Merfish's hooks. At the same time, Mist struck out at the Predafish, the monster using one of the anchors it held to parry. The Teethee lunged at her from behind. Mist broke the parry and blocked the attack, pushing the monster back.

'_I won't have any time to cast spells with the way they're attacking' _Mist thought with a scowl, using Dragon Fang to knock the Predafish into a gigantic snow drift. She spun around quickly to see the Teethee charging at her with its horn pointed at her. She blocked the attack of the narwhal-like monster and pushed back.

Flynn sidestepped to avoid the Boost Merfish's hooks as it brought them down. He took this chance to use Demon Fang to throw the monster off balance and finished it off with Sword Rain: Alpha. He went over to assist Mist, who was trying to hold off the Teethee. The Predafish dug itself out of the snow drift and launched itself at her, swinging the small anchor. Flynn slid in between the two, deflecting the attack with his sword and counterattacking with Sonic Thrust, knocking the monster into the water.

The Teethee began backing away, realizing it was the only monster left. Mist shot forward, raking her sword across its face, red splattering the ice. Before it could retaliate, Flynn plunged his sword into the monster.

"What a hassle..." Mist sighed. A splash sounded behind her and a sharp pain pierced her back. She stumbled forward, letting out a cry, and turning her head. The Predafish had leapt out of the water and swung the anchor at her. Mist fell to the ground, gritting her teeth.

"Demonic Chaos!" Flynn shouted, firing off two consecutive Demon Fangs. The attack stunned the monster long enough for Flynn to deliver the killing blow. He ran over to Mist, crouching down next to her. "Are you okay?"

"Before Mist could reply, a nearby Limewreath let out a roar, scurrying away, followed by several other monsters.

"What's...going on?" Mist panted, lifting her head. Her eyes widened when she saw the reason. "Oh shit... A Baitojoh!"

"Can you stand?!" Flynn demanded. Mist hauled herself to her hands and knees before the intense pain in her back made her fall back down. The Baitojoh was coming closer, it's yellow horn flashing in anticipation.

"This is bad!" Mist exclaimed. Flynn moved in between her and the flying monster, sword at the ready.

"Mist, you need to get out of here somehow," Flynn said, not taking his eyes off Baitojoh. The monster opened its mouth, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth.

"And leave you to get killed?! Are you out of your damned mind?!" Mist exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"I'll be fine. Just get outta here!" Flynn insisted, charging at the monster. Baitojoh spun around, whipping its sharp tail at the Knight and sending him into the same snow drift the Predafish had gone into. He pulled himself out, gripping his stomach where the tail left a bloody gash and blood dripped from his mouth. Mist struggled to stand, only to slip on the puddle of blood that had formed underneath her.

"Dammit...!" Mist spat as she fell facefirst back on the ice. Flynn jumped out of the way when Baitojoh shot out at him, jaws wide open. He struck down on the horn with his sword, making the Baitojoh roar in pain. The horn glowed, a large crack on it visable. The monster dove through the ice and resurfaced underneath Flynn, sending the blonde into the air. Baitojoh did a midair flip, its tail smacking into Flynn's back and launching him back down, the ice cracking from the impact. Blood flew from his mouth as he let out a cry of pain.

Mist managed to finally stay on her feet, though her legs shook, her sword primed to strike. When the Baitojoh came back down, Mist leaped up, swinging her sword at the monster's horn. The horn broke in half, Baitojoh thrashing about in agony. It calmed down after a few seconds and turned its attention on Mist. It shot out, jaws open and ready to clamp down. Before she could react, a flash of blue and blonde appeared in her vision accompanied by a splash of red.

Flynn had gone in between the two, plunging his sword into the Baitojoh's gaping mouth. At the same time, the monster clamped down on the Knight's arm. Baitojoh fell to the ice, blood running from its mouth and struggling a bit before slamming its tail down, the ice below shattering and dragging Flynn down with it into the icy waters.

"Flynn!" Mist screamed, diving in after him. Coldness greeted her like an electric shock, but she reached an unconscious Flynn. The dead Baitojoh's jaws had slackened and she was able to get his arm and sword out of the monster's mouth. Despite his weight and the freezing waters, she was able to haul him back onto the ice before pulling herself out. The wound on her back had gone numb, but she could still feel the blood running down it. However, she needed to treat Flynn right away.

She reached her stuff, pulling out the medical kit and a couple of blankets. She wrapped one over herself, shivering violently, and made her way back to Flynn. Like her, he was completely soaked but he wasn't shivering as hard. Dread began creeping into her and she quickly wrapped a blanket around him, hoping to get him warmed up. She carefully half carried, half dragged him over to the large snow drift, pain begining to creep into her back again. After a bit of digging, she made a hole large enough to shelter the both of them from the wind and carried Flynn into it.

She unwrapped the blanket from Flynn, already soaking up blood. The teeth from the Baitojoh had torn up the gauntlet covering his right arm. Mist shivered as she thought about how bad the damage would have been if it hadn't been there. She took his cloak, armor, tunic, and black shirt off, laying them out to dry faster. To her relief, Flynn regained consciousness as she finished wrapping the bandages over his right arm.

"I'm...glad you're awake...If you had died, I dunno...I dunno... I..." By then, she was starting to feel lightheaded from blood loss and the cold.

"Mist...?" Flynn murmured, sitting up slowly. The next thing he knew, Mist collapsed onto his lap. A gigantic red spot had formed on the blanket she had wrapped around her. Flynn took it and the equally soaked coat off her uniform. He lifted her shirt high enough to see the wound on her lower back. He grabbed the blastia on his shirt a little ways away and cast First Aid.

The spell was weak, but he managed to stop the bleeding and clear the wound of infection. He worked on bandaging her wound and grabbed a blanket from her bag that wasn't blood soaked and wrapped it around the two of them, holding Mist closer. Her clothes were freezing, but Flynn held her even tighter, trying to warm her up.

"That was reckless, jumping into the water..." Flynn murmured softly, his breath stirring her silver hair and pressing a kiss to her forhead. Before long, his eyelids began drooping and he fell asleep.

* * *

Mist began waking with a groan, shifting her body a bit. She was instantly alert when she realized something was holding her tight. Looking up, she saw it was Flynn. He was asleep, oblivious to Mist's stirring.

"Flynn...!" Mist hissed. "Flynn! Wake up!"

"Huh...?" Flynn groaned, shaking his head to wake himself up.

"We need to keep moving," Mist prompted. "The aer krene is just up ahead."

"Oh, right." Flynn released Mist, who gathered up her belongings. Her back ached, but she ignored it, and her clothes were damp now, but still cold. Flynn put his shirt and tunic back on, ignoring the busted armor, and put the cloak back on. The two stepped outside, the sun shining brightly in the clear sky.

"We wasted an entire night," Mist observed.

"We should hurry then," Flynn replied. The wind that howled around them seemed to be keeping the monsters away, making the trip easier. A couple of Penguinists were sitting at the ice's edge, ignoring the two as they crossed the Blade Drifts. Within a short amount of time, they reached the aer krene.

"Undine?" Mist called out. "Are you here?" After a moment of silence, a twister of water appeared and Undine was in front of the two.

"You called?" Undine said.

"We wanted to ask you something," Flynn said. "Do you know anything about an Entelexeia named Jennuir?"

"Jennuir?" Undine murmured. "I feel I've heard that name mentioned before, but I can't recall where exactly."

"Then do you know where Origin is?" Mist asked. "He may know something."

"Origin, you say," Undine replied. "I believe he has made Zaude his domain. Perhaps if you go there you will find him."

"Thank you for your help, Undine," Mist said. Undine nodded and vanished.

* * *

"This must be Relewise Hollow," Kluke said, looking over the edge from the path going down the canyon of Weccea. The river below looked like a thin blue line from the height she and the Shadow Wielders were at.

"I wonder what would happen if you say, slipped off the edge?" Bouquet said.

"Don't say things like that!" Kluke exclaimed with a shiver.

"You scared, Kluke?" Shu teased.

"Of course not!" Kluke retorted, punching Shu in the face for emphasis.

"Let's just go down there and get this over with," Jiro sighed.

"Who died and put him in charge?" Bouquet huffed, crossing her arms.

"Let's just go," Andropov replied, following Jiro.

"Yeah, yeah," Shu grumbled, he and everyone else following. The path down Relewise Hollow was long, full of twists and turns as well as forks in the path. A couple of times, they went down the wrong one and had to turn back around when it became a dead end. And the wind blew strongly through the canyon, threatening to blow the group over the edge. After a bit, Andropov halted.

"A rock just moved!" he exclaimed, pointing ahead of them.

"Right. And pigs fly," Jiro scoffed.

"No he's right! It really is moving!" Kluke exclaimed. Ahead of them, a Roctus was stirring, It turned its rock body toward the group and began sliding toward them, bits of rock circling it.

"It doesn't looks so tough!" Shu said, summoning Blue Dragon. "Crushing Nail!"

However, the atack didn't even scratch the Roctus's body. Instead, it just made it angrier. The rocks floating around it were launched at the dragon Shadow, sending him and Shu onto their backs.

"He's tough...!" Blue Dragon snarled.

"Stop fooling around Shu!" Kluke scoldied, summoning Phoenix. The others did the same as Shu and Blue Dragon got back up. "Eternal Breath!"

As the fire attack flew at the monster, it conjured up more rock shards, forming a shield in front of it to deflect the attack.

"Now look who's fooling around," Shu mumbled, casting a sidelong glanced at a baffled Kluke.

"Sh-shut up!" she exclaimed angrily.

"Waves of Rage!" Jiro shouted. The rapid punches cracked the shield, Albiheim's Dark Shine shattering it. The Roctus's eyes widened and everyone swore they saw it sweating like crazy.

"Poison Claw!" Bouquet shouted, she and Hippo already transformed into a Gattusso. The attack sent the Roctus flying into the air.

"Blue Explosion!" The attack caused the Roctus to explode into thousands of little rock shards. Phoenix suddenly snapped her head around.

"Kluke! Behind you!" she exclaimed. Kluke spun around just in time to catch a Tiredillo rolling into her at top speed, Phoenix vanishing and Kluke flying off the edge. She grabbed onto the edge just in time, but she was losing her grip. The armadillo-like monster uncurled, losing its tire-like shape and roaring. Albiheim used Crystal Square, but the Tiredillo rolled up again and rolled away from the attack.

"Someone help me!" Kluke screamed. Jiro, who was the closest, shot out and grabbed Kluke's hand just as her grip slipped, Minotaur vanishing.

"Just hold tight, Kluke," Jiro said through gritted teeth. He began hoisting Kluke back onto the path.

"Jiro! Heads up!" Shu shouted. Jiro snapped his head around. The Tiredillo had leaped into the air and was falling right to the area he was. Grabbing Kluke, Jiro leaped back as the Tiredillo made impact, the ground beneath the group shattering. Before anyone could react, they all began plummeting toward the river below.

"Hippopon Hippotama Transform!" Bouquet screamed, she and Hippo vanishing in a giant cloud of pink smoke. "Ba'ul!" Below the rest of the group was a pink version of Ba'ul, on which they landed.

"Wow!" Shu exclaimed, standing up. "You did it, Bouquet!"

"Y-yeah..." Bouquet's voice said nervously. "We need to land right now... Hippo and I can't stay in a giant form like this for very long!"

As Bouquet began descending, Shu snapped his head around when he heard Andropov growl. The silver haired boy's eyes were narrowed at Jiro, who was still holding on to Kluke, as if the two didn't realize yet that they've landed, their eyes stil squeezed shut.

"What are you doing, Jiro?" he snarled. Kluke and Jiro's eyes shot open and they broke apart, blushing.

"I...uh..." Jiro started, but was cut off by Bouquet.

"I can't hold on any longer!" she cried out. A puff of pink smoke and everyone began plummetting again. However, they reached the ground sooner then any of them expected. Shu got up first, rubbing his back.

"Owww..." he moaned, then looked around. "Hey, I think we're at the bottom now!"

"If you're joking, I'll kill you," Jiro grumbled, getting back up and dusting himself off, everyone else doing the same.

"It's not a joke! Look! There's the river!" Shu exclaimed, pointing. Sure enough, the river running through the bottom of Relewise Hollow was surging in front of them. Kluke walked along the path and stopped, turning back to the others.

"Here's a cave!" she shouted. Everyone ran over, standing at the entrance of thr cave.

"I hear water..." Bouquet murmured.

"Let's go see if this is the place," Shu said, everyone entering the cave. A yellowish glow at the end showed them where to go. They at last came upon a giant cavern. Moss grew all over the floor and aer had pooled in a crack in the center where the aer krene was situated. Tiny particles of aer were floating above the spring before vanishing.

"This must be it," Kluke said. "That crystal in the center looks like an aer krene all right."

"But why does it sound like their's water in here?" Bouquet asked.

"Don't you remember what Rita said that aer krene were? They're springs of aer. That sound is probably aer pouring out," Kluke replied. Shu glanced over at her.

"You know, Kluke. You're starting to sound like you were born on Terca Lumires."

"Let's just find Sylph and get this done and over with," Jiro interrupted. Andropov glared at him.

"Hey, you don't have to say it like that. We have plenty of time, you know?"

"Sure didn't look like that when Jennuir appeared," Jiro retorted.

"Enough, you two!" Kluke exclaimed, rushing to stand in between the two boys. "Fighting'll get us nowhere. Let's just do what we came here to do!" The boys stared in astonishment, but said nothing else.

Shu stepped forward. "Sylph! Are you here? We need to talk to you!"

A whirlwind appeared in front of the group and Sylph came from it. "What is it that you need?"

"We need to know where Origin is," Kluke replied. "We think he'll have information on an Entelexeia named Jennuir."

"Jennuir... Where have I heard that name before...?" Sylph murmured, closing her eyes in thought.

"Do you know something about him?" Jiro asked. Sylph opened her eyes again.

"I'm afraid I can't help you," she replied. "If you seek Origin, head for Zaude. At the top of the arch is where you will find him."

"Hey, didn't Yuri and the others mention Zaude before?" Bouquet asked the group.

"Come to think of it, they did on a few occations," Kluke replied. "We should head for Aurnion and meet with everyone else, then."

* * *

"It's...so...hot...!" Rita complained as Ba'ul flew them through the Sands of Kogorh on the way to Phaeroh's Crag.

"C'mon! It ain't that bad once ya get used ta it!" Raven chimed. Rita shot a glare at him.

"I will never...understand...how you handle this so well...!" Rita panted, though anger was evident in her voice.

"Enough already," Yuri called over. "We're almost there, so stop arguing."

"Whatever..." Rita huffed, looking back over the edge of the Fiertia. Estelle came over to Yuri, who seemed to be staring off into space.

"What's wrong, Yuri?" she asked. Yuri seemed to snap out of his trance at the sound of her voice. "Are you worried about the others?"

"Kinda," Yuri admitted. "Those Shadow Wielders are still unfamiliar with Terca Lumires, so I'm afraid they'll get lost or run into trouble."

"You aren't worried about Flynn or Mist, though?"

"Flynn's tough. He can handle it," Yuri replied. "And Mist is there to back him up. So no, I'm not worried too much about them."

"You say that, yet your eyes say something different," Estelle pointed out. "It's almost like you're trying to convince yourself. Just tell the truth, Yuri."

Yuri let out a long sigh. "Okay, you got me. Yes, I am a bit worried."

"And why?" Estelle asked.

"I've just...got this feeling that something happened," Yuri replied, glancing to the north. "I just hope they're alright..."

"I know what you mean," Estelle said. "I've known Flynn for a few years, so I'm worried if he got hurt. I don't know what I'd do if anything serious happened to him. And Mist is his wife. He loves her so much, so I think I'd be heartbreaking for him if anything happened to her."

"Flynn's so stubborn..." Yuri murmured. "He'd gladly die if it meant saving her. And I'm afraid that's what he'll do someday."

"I see..." Estelle said. "And I know it would hurt you too, since you and Flynn have been friends since you were kids growing up in the lower quarter. I...I've never had a special friend like that back in the castle, so I don't have the slightest idea for just how deeply you and Flynn feel for each other's safety."

"The guy can be a real pain in the ass most of the time, but he's always determined to protect those precious to him. Just like his father," Yuri said. Estelle perked her head up at that.

"His father?" she asked. "Isn't his father Finath Scifo?"

"That's right," Yuri repled. "Flynn doesn't exactly like talking about him."

"That explains why I haven't heard much about him," Estelle said. "The only thing I heard was that he was a Knight who died disobeying orders. That must be why Flynn doesn't talk about him."

"It's true his father disobeyed orders but if he didn't, Flynn and several people in the lower quarter wouldn't be alive today. He died saving all of them," Yuri explained. "Back when I was in the Knights in Shizentonia, the only thing Flynn ever talked about was following orders. Talking about Finath around him was taboo. We even came to blows when I teased him about it. He believed what his father did was a mistake and he wanted to do everything he could to not do the same thing."

"What happened to make him change, then?" Estelle asked. "Was it connected to the increase of monsters around the town? I remember him begging Alexei to send reinforcements when he arrived in Zaphias to attend the ceremony in place of Niren Fedrock."

"That's right. The captain wanted to investigate the ruins where he believed to be the source of the increasing aer. When Flynn reported that Alexei wouldn't send reinforcements until after the ceremony, the captain decided to take the entire brigade to investigate. Flynn, of course, objected to it but came along anyway. At the end we found a blastia Garista made to be the source of the increased aer, but the captain died as the ruins began to explode after we deactivated it. During his funeral, I told Flynn what the captain told me: that Finath left behind a legacy when he died. Just as the captain did."

"So that Garista creep was abusing blastia?!" Rita shouted, startling Yuri and Estelle.

"Do you know him?" Karol asked.

"Hell yeah! I had met him in the capital a few years back! He took the cores I found and turned them into weapons. I'd heard from your captain that he was your brigade's strategist. What happened to him?"

"I don't know if I should respond to that," Yuri said.

"Let me guess; you killed him," Rita said bluntly.

"Sorta. It wasn't just me," Yuri replied.

"You don't mean..." Estelle gasped.

"Wait a moment," Raven interrupted. "I'd heard the man died in a blastia explosion there in Shizentonia. Yer sayin' that's not the truth?"

"Was... Flynn the other person?" Estelle asked. Yuri turned his head away.

"Yeah."

"But why?!" Estelle demanded. "I know he's not the type of person to kill criminals without them having a fair trial!"

"..."

"Well?" Estelle prompted.

"Garista had pushed Flynn's button big time," Yuri replied finally. Everyone was staring intensly as Yuri continued. "Garista had been experimenting for some time to create a blastia that didn't need to run on a core. However, these experiments lead to casualties..."

"You mean that..." Estelle gasped.

"One of those experiments sent the monsters near Zaphias into a rampage, ultimately killing Flynn's father," Yuri finished. "This sent Flynn into a rage and we ended up killing Garista before Flynn could realize what he'd done."

Everyone was silent for a moment before Rita spoke up. "Garista had it coming, though. Abusing the poor blastia like that is unforgivable! Period!"

"Hey, come to think of it, I seem to remember seeing you and Flynn when I visited Shizentonia to apply to join the guild there[1]," Karol piped up. "You were with a pair of twins with red hair and a puppy I'm pretty sure was Repede. You were talking to two other Knights who had a warhound looking just like Repede with them."

"I was probably too busy getting chewed out to notice," Yuri grumbled.

"Yeah, you stormed after them and Flynn and the twins had to restrain you. I think you were shouting 'Come back here and say that again!'" Karol continued.

"What did they say to make you so upset?" Judith asked, a smile on her face.

"Yet's just drop it!" Yuri grumbled, waving one hand dismissively. Tokunaga eventually announced they reached Phaeroh's Crag and they landed, getting off the ship. They walked up the winding path to the dried-up aer krene in the center of the crag.

"Efreet. You are there, aren't you?" Judith asked. Fire swirled in front of them and Efreet appeared.

"What do you want now? This had better be important," the fire spirit growled, his eyes narrowed.

"Nice to see you, too," Yuri said.

"Efreet," Estelle said, walking over to the spirit. "We need to know where Origin is. We believe he'll know more about Jennuir, an Entelexeia that appeared on the Ilyccian continent."

"Jennuir, hmm?" Efreet said.

"Do you know him?" Judith asked.

"I'm afraid not. Although, his name had been whispered among the senior Entelexeia, back when Alrodoh was our leader. Eventually, his name vanished into legend and no one spoke of him since," Efreet replied. "The only thing I know was that he was leader before Alrodoh, before I was even born. You will find Origin residing in Zaude."

"Zaude, huh?" Yuri said. "Sounds fitting."

"If that is all you need to know, please go and leave me in peace for once," Efreet grumbled, vanishing.

"Is it just me, or has his personality not changed one bit from when he was Phaeroh?" Karol asked.

"Nah, he's changed," Raven replied. "He answered our question without threatenin' ta kill us first, so that's a big improvement if I do say so myself."

"We should head back to Aurnion for now," Yuri said. "We have to meet up with the others." He added silently in his head, '_And they'd better be alright!'_

* * *

**[1] This was from Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike (check my profile page for the link to the full movie). In the scene where Yuri, Flynn, Chastel, and Hisca meet up with Jurgis and the really tall Knight (don't know his name, though it's probably in the credits along with everyone else in the brigade) and ****the large Knight says "Yuri. Don't go running off on your own like yesterday, all right?" pause it when he says the first word. In the background to the right, you'll see Karol. My only guess for why he's their in Shizentonia is because he got kicked out of yet another guild and is trying to join the one there.**


	5. Story of Jennuir

The town of Aurnion had improved since it was first built a year ago. Dozens of houses and shops were clustered in the walls of the town. More people had moved there, making the town more prosperous. The guild abandoned the town to the Knights, however, because of the rising tensions between them.

Brave Vesperia and the Shadow Wielders were the first to arrive as planned. However, there was still no sign of Mist and Flynn. Two days passed and the group began getting impatient, yet concerned.

"Those two should've arrived by now," Rita said, crossing her arms. "What could be taking them so long?"

"I'm worried they ran into trouble," Estelle replied, folding her hands together. "The Blade Drifts of Zopheir is a very hostile and dangerous area after all."

"Not ta mention freezin'!" Raven added. "I swear, that's the worst place ta be in this world."

"Do you think we should look for them?" Bouquet asked Yuri.

"I dunno," Yuri replied, looking at the entrance to the town. "They could very well be on their way here. We'll just have to be patient and wait for them."

"I could look for them on Ba'ul while you all wait," Judith offered.

"I don't think that's..." Yuri began but broke off. "There they are!" Everyone turned to see Flynn and Mist heading through the entrance. But something looked wrong. Every time Mist took a step, she flinched and Flynn was grimacing as if he was in pain. Estelle ran over to the two.

"What happened?!" she exclaimed.

"A Baitojoh gave us a bit of trouble," Mist replied. "We had to make a side trip to the castle to change into new clothes and armor. Flynn's had been busted up by that monster."

"Glad to see you two are still alive at least," Yuri said. "When we faced one before, we almost became its lunch."

Estelle grabbed Flynn and Mist's wrists, dragging them over to Aurnion HQ. "I need to see how bad your injuries are."

"L-Lady Estellise...!" Flynn started, but a sharp pain shooting up his arm cut him off, making him give a small cry of pain.

"You're hurting us!" Mist finished. Estelle released them, covering her mouth.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" she gasped.

"It's okay, Lady Estellise," Flynn replied. "But I think heading for Zaude is more important right now."

"So you two found Undine, then?" Yuri asked.

"That's right. She said Origin had made Zaude his domain, so we should head there if we want any answers about Jennuir," Mist replied.

"Sylph and Efreet said the same thing," Rita said. "Although it does make sense for Origin to inhabit the shrine."

"I know you all want to see Origin as soon as possible, but Flynn and Mist need to be treated right away," Estelle said. When Flynn and Mist opened their mouths to protest, Estelle cut them off. "It wouldn't do you any good if the injuries were to become infected."

The two Knights sighed. There was no talking Estelle out of something she made her mind up about. They followed her into Aurnion HQ, everyone else waiting outside for Estelle to finish.

* * *

"Flynn needs attention first," Mist told Estelle once they were inside the building she, Flynn, and Witcher had slept in after first building the town. "His injuries are more severe."

"I'm fine," Flynn protested. Estelle forced him to sit on the bed anyway.

"Take your armor, tunic, and shirt off so I can see where you're injured," Estelle instructed. Flynn did as he was told, revealing the bandages wrapped around his body. A faint blush appeared on Estelle as she began unwrapping the bandages. When she finished she recoiled, holding in a gasp.

The area around the wounds on his stomach and back were inflammed and there was barely any skin on his right forearm where the Baitojoh's teeth ripped at it.

"Oh my...!" Estelle said finally, leaning over to inspect the wounds more closely. She straghted up and glanced over Mist. "And you?"

Mist turned around, lifting her tunic and shirt high enough for Estelle to see the bandages covering the gash on her lower back. Estelle unwrapped them, a little more timidly this time.

"It's not as bad as Flynn's," she observed. "It's a bit inflammed, but not as serious, although it does look pretty deep." She turned and walked back over to Flynn, holding out her left hand and closing her eyes, a yellow-green magic circle appearing under her as she began using her healing artes. The inflammation vanished and the wounds slowly began closing. She finished, panting a bit from exhaution, and turned to Mist, doing the same. Flynn, meanwhile, put his uniform back on.

"You two are good to go," Estelle said when she finished. "I couldn't heal them all the way since they were pretty deep, but most of the pain should be gone." She put a hand to her head, swaying a bit before falling back. Flynn caught her just in time.

"You shouldn't strain yourself, Lady Estellise," Flynn warned, concern etched in his face. Estelle nodded and got back to her feet.

"I'm sorry," she said, smiling. "I'm fine now."

"Just take it easy," Mist said. "Using healing artes puts your body through a lot of stress. We should go meet the others now."

The three went through the door, where everyone else was waiting.

"You good to go?" Yuri asked.

"We're fine now," Flynn replied.

"Ba'ul is ready to pick us up," Judith said.

"Right! Let's go!" Karol exclaimed, raising a fist into the air. As they headed for the Fiertia, a voice made them stop.

"Wait for us, maro!" Everyone spun around, seeing Marumaro and Saber-Tiger flying toward them. Marumira and Marutora were behind Marumaro, holding on tightly.

"Don't leave us behind, mira!" Marumira added.

"We want to come too, tora!" Marutora shouted. Saber-Tiger landed and vanished as the three Devee hopped off.

"You're done already?" Shu asked.

"Yeah! We can fight now, mira!" Marumira replied.

"Please let us come too, tora!" Marutora begged.

"What do you think, Yuri?" Karol asked. Yuri shrugged.

"As long as they can fight, they can come along," Yuri replied.

"Thank you!" Marumira and Marutora exclaimed, hugging Yuri's legs.

"Hey! Get off! Get off!" Yuri shouted. The two leaped off, smiling cheekily. Yuri sighed, climbing onboard the ship, followed by everyone else. Ba'ul howled, taking off and flew off in the direction of Zaude.

"Think it's possible we could land on the top?" Rita asked Judith.

"Depends on whether or not Zaude's defense systems are active," Judith replied. "If they are, we'll have to land the ship in the ocean and climb to the top of the shrine."

"I hope we don't have ta do that," Raven said. "The monsters in there are pretty nasty. Plus, there's a Giganto Monster that I don't think we'll wanna get tangled up with."

"Which Giganto Monster?" Kluke asked.

"Poseidon, a giant golem," Rita replied. "And like all Giganto Monster's, he'll be strong."

"How many Giganto Monsters are there?" Shu asked.

"Nine species in all," Karol replied. "Brutal, Brucis, Chimera Butterfly, Medusa Butterfly, Fenrir, Poseidon, Griffon, Hermit Drill, and Pterobronc. Giganto Monsters are the nastiest monsters in Terca Lumires."

"Well, there's Zaude," Mist said. Ahead of them was a giant arch surrounded by small mountains. On the top of the arch was a platform and on that platform was a gigantic green core.

"Be careful flying in, Ba'ul," Judith called up to the Entelexeia. "Even though the core is useless now as a key to the seal on the Adephagos, it could still fire." Ba'ul howled a reply, showing he understood, and slowed down, steadily coming closer and closer to the shrine.

"I think we may be in the clear," Yuri said. "We've come pretty close and it still hasn't fired at us. It should be okay to land at the top."

"You're right," Judith replied. "Ba'ul! Find a place to land!"

Ba'ul howled, decending the ship onto the platform at the top. Everyone got off, walking over to the core towering over them. Standing under it was Origin.

"I knew you would come," Origing said.

"That's why Zaude didn't fire; you were controlling the defense system," Rita said. Origin nodded and gazed over the group.

"What do you know about Jennuir?" Estelle asked, taking a step toward the spirit. "We heard he was the Entelexeia king before you."

"That is correct," Origin replied. "And his appearance will bring disaster."

"Disaster?" Kluke echoed, tilting her head to one side.

"What do you mean by that?" Mist asked. "I thought Entelexeia were the guardians of Terca Lumires. How could one represent disaster?"

"You know something, don't you?" Judith said, walking over to the spirit. "Please explain."

"Very well. I will explain from the beginning," Origin replied. "Jennuir was the king of the Entelexia in an age before the Gerios: the Draconian. Back then, Jennuir led the Entelexeia to new hights, making our race worshipped among the Krityans and humans. I was born in those times, so I know just how prosperous we were. In exchange for defending humans and Krityans from the monsters that threatened them, they would see to our every need. We were like gods back then."

"But something went wrong, didn't it?" Estelle asked. Origin nodded.

"Jennuir became power-hungry. His demands of the humans and Kritya became harsher. Many Entelexeia found this as unfair to the other races and confronted him. However, Jennuir and a group of Entelexeia fiercly loyal to him struck them down. Our race quickly became feared and detested. Soon, Jennuir imposed a harsher ruling on the Entelexeia. Any Entelexeia suspected of planning to overthrow Jennuir was killed immediately. Soon, we Entelexeia divided ourselves into two forces. I led the one opposing Jennuir and many Entelexeia sided with me. The other was composed of those who chose to stay loyal to Jennuir."

"A rebellion, then?" Judith asked.

"Correct. We waged war against Jennuir which lasted for centuries. Both sides were at a deadlock and we decided to resort to another method of winning the war. We found a way to impose a hibernation upon Jennuir and his forces and used it, sending them into a deep sleep. I then took over as leader and worked to make our race respected once again. The Kritya were the first, but the humans never trusted us again. We feared the day when Jennuir and his followers would awaken once again, and now it has come at last."

"Is there any way to put a stop to him?" Estelle asked.

"I'm afraid I cannot help you with that," Origin replied. "Jennuir is very powerful. However, some of his followers joined him only because they were afraid. If you were to find them, you may be able to find a way."

"Thanks for the help, Origin," Yuri said.

"Travel safely," Origin replied, vanishing. Everyone boarded the Fiertia and Ba'ul took off.

* * *

"So we need to find the Entelexeia who were with Jennuir, then," Mist said. "I wonder where we should even begin looking."

"It shouldn't be hard," Yuri replied. "Entelexeia have been popping up all over lately."

"But we could encounter those who are loyal to Jennuir," Flynn pointed out. "We have to be cautious."

"And we still have to prevent any possible fighting between our world and yours," Kluke added.

"Perhaps we should head back to the castle for now," Estelle suggested.

"Good idea," Yuri replied.

"It'll give us time to plan our next move," Flynn agreed.

"So it's off to Zaphias, then," Judith said. "Ba'ul!"

Ba'ul let out a howl, heading east for Zaphias. Even though the barrier was no longer there, they could see the Sword Stair easily even from a distance. Ba'ul landed the ship at the entrance to the lower quarter and Yuri was the first one off. Almost immediately, Adecor, Boccos, and Leblanc confronted him.

"I say, Yuri Lowell you are under arrest!" Adecor proclaimed, drawing out his sword.

"There is no hope of escape this time!" Boccos added, pointing his spear at Yuri.

"Enough grandstanding, arrest him already!" Leblanc shouted.

"What is going on?" Flynn said, climbing off the ship, followed by an equally confused Mist.

"Is Yuri being arrested?" Shu asked after getting off the ship with everyone else.

"Yeah. Again," Rita replied, crossing her arms. "I swear, he _lives_ in prison!"

"Commandant Flynn!" Leblanc exclaimed, standing at attention with Adecor and Boccos. "We were just aprehending this crimminal, sir!"

Flynn sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yuri, what did you do this time?"

"Yes, tell him what you did, I say!" Adecor added.

"Tweedle A and I got in a bit of a verbal arguement," Yuri replied.

Flynn looked at his friend doubtfully.

"Okay, and a physical one."

Flynn raised an eyebrow, showing that he didn't believe Yuri was telling the whole story.

"Okay, okay! I might have dumped him into the river!" Yuri exclaimed, then added in a quieter voice. "Again."

"For crying out loud..." Flynn groaned, covering his face with one hand in embarrassment. "Yuri, why can't you just behave yourself for once?"

"I was collecting taxes and that's when this ruffian assaulted me!" Adecor exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Yuri.

"Ho boy..." Mist mumbled. "This job is never boring with the Schwann Brigade around."

"Sorry, but I must've mistaken you for some guy robbing Hanks," Yuri said to Adecor. "You wanna know something? It's stuff like this that keeps you guys from getting promoted."

"So what are you going to do, Flynn?" Jiro asked, glancing at the Commandant.

"Lady Estellise? What do you think?" Flynn asked, looking over at the princess.

"It's true that Yuri shouldn't have done that, but we have an important mission right now. His punishment will have to wait until we're done," Estelle replied.

"B-but, Your Highness!" Leblanc stammered, but Yuri cut him off.

"You heard her. Move along now."

The three shot Yuri a glare and turned, heading for the castle. Shu glanced at Yuri.

"Are you always being arrested?" he asked.

"Almost all the time," Flynn sighed.

"Mainly because he breaks out of prison," Mist added, narrowing her eyes at Yuri.

"Well maybe you should order the guards to stop sleeping on the job," Yuri retorted with a smirk.

"I don't get how you two are still friends, maro," Marumaro said.

"I don't either," Flynn replied with a sigh.

"Aw, I'm hurt," Yuri said.

"I'm hungry, mira," Marumira piped up.

"Me too, tora," Marutora agreed, the two kids rubbing their bellies.

"I swear, all you Devee think about are your stomachs," Kluke sighed. Then her stomach gave a loud growl, Kluke blushing and everyone laughing.

"Maybe we should go eat at the castle first, and then discuss where we're headed next," Flynn chuckled.

* * *

"I'm stuffed!" Shu exclaimed, patting his belly.

"Best meal I've had in weeks, maro," Marumaro agreed, doing the same.

"I swear, your stomachs are like bottomless pits," Bouquet giggled. "But I agree that the food was delicious."

"That's because Flynn didn't cook it," Mist chuckled, elbowing Flynn playfully in the ribs.

"Hey, I've been practicing!" Flynn protested, smiling.

"Sorry, but no amount of practice could fix you," Yuri smirked. Everyone stood up and left the room, halting when a voice sounded down the hallway.

"I'm sorry, but the Commandant it busy at the moment. You'll have to come back later." Flynn walked down the hall, followed by everyone else, entering the main hall in the castle.

"What's going on?" he asked. Shu dashed forward.

"Conrad!" he exclaimed. The Knight with Conrad turned immediately, saluting to Flynn.

"Commandant! I didn't expect you, sir!" he said. Flynn came over to him.

"Let him pass," Flynn ordered. The Knight nodded and went back to his post. Flynn turned to Conrad. "So why have you come here?"

"I've come to warn you about Rosekstan," Conrad replied grimly. The Shadow Wielders' eyes widened.

"Logi's here?!" Shu exclaimed.

"That's right. Both worlds have finished merging, so Rosekstan will be here as well, although we don't know where they are exactly. Sui has sent out her informants to discover where their base is located," Conrad explained. "Most likely, Logi will try to spread his influence on the people of Terca Lumires. That's one reason why I've come here."

"What's the other?" Yuri asked.

"I've also come to ask to join you. I've worked on developing my Kirin during this time," Conrad replied.

"Good, because we'll need all the help we can get now," Judith said. "We're now going to be facing a group of Entelexeia from ancient times, led by Jennuir."

"For now, we should get some rest," Flynn said. "It's getting late. I'll have rooms arranged for all of you. Tomorrow, we'll discuss what to do first."

* * *

Night fell quickly and most of the people in the castle were alseep, except for the Knights on a night shift.

In the girls' guest room, Judith headed for the door, unable to sleep. She crept by Bouquet and Kluke, who slept in one bed, Marumira, who slept in another and was drooling from a dream involving food, and Rita, who was mumbling some complicated blastia formula. Going through the door, she encountered Yuri, who was leaning against the opposite wall.

"Might wanna be quiet," he said. "Flynn and Mist are sleeping." He gestured to their room a little ways down the hall. Ever since the two were married, Mist moved into Flynn's room, both sharing the same bed. It wasn't too hard to imagine what the two did in there at night.

"Can't sleep?" Judith asked.

"What about you?" Yuri pointed out.

"You already know full well I take nighly strolls," Judith giggled.

"True," Yuri admitted. He turned to the boys' guest room when Jiro stormed out of it, covering his ears and looking pissed off.

"Looks like we're not the only one's who can't sleep," Judith smirked.

"What's wrong?" Yuri asked Jiro.

"It took all my self restraint not to gag Shu, Marumaro, Marutora, Karol, and Raven," Jiro growled. "Marumaro keeps mumbling something about hamburgers, Marutora's talking about dinner, Karol's mumbling about Nan, and Shu and Raven won't stop snoring in my ears!" Jiro shouted the last part.

"Shut up out there!" Mist's sleepy yet loud voice sounded, making Jiro jump.

"Mist...Please keep your voice down." That was Flynn, though his words were a little slurred from sleeping. After a few moments, Judith spoke up again.

"I hope we're ready for what's ahead," she murmured.

"I don't think I've ever heard you unsure about anything," Yuri replied, faintly surprised.

"We're up against an Entelexeia whose power is probably greater than Phaeroh's," Judith pointed out. "And you know full well how powerful Phaeroh is."

"We'll just need to find some help from the other Entelexeia," Yuri replied.

"You have no idea where I'm going with this, do you?" Judith asked, her violet eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?" Jiro asked.

"I'm saying that Jennuir is powerful, and according to Origin, has many followers. He'll try to establish himself as king once again and you know the other Entelexeia won't agree to that," Judith explained. "A war could be waged over the next Entelexeia ruler, one that could make the world look like Mount Temza."

"So you're saying we now have two wars to worry about," Yuri groaned. "I'm cursed, I just know it."

"Another Great War could start," Judith murmured, lowering her gaze.

"Then we just need to keep that from happening," Yuri replied.

* * *

The next morning, everyone got ready to head out.

"Where should we begin?" Shu asked.

"We should look for General Logi first," Andropov suggested.

"I think Jennuir is more imperitive," Mist said.

"Perhaps we should try preventing a war from occuring between our two worlds," Conrad offered.

"I think we should just fly around and see what we run into first," Yuri said.

"That sounds like a good idea," Flynn agreed.

"I don't know if Ba'ul will like that," Judith pointed out. "He has his limits, too, you know." Ba'ul howled and Judith glanced at him. "Forget it. He agrees as well."

"I guess we should head out then," Estelle said. Everyone boarded the Fiertia, Ba'ul taking off with a howl and flying away from Zaphias.

Marumaro, Marumira, and Marutora began training with their Shadows, but were forced to stop when Tokunaga became paranoid they would destroy the ship.

Flynn and Mist were looking out over the ocean side-by-side, Mist's head resting on Flynn's shoulder while Flynn had one arm wrapped around her.

Shu and Jiro got into another arguement that was broken up after Kluke punched the two in the head.

Karol was sneaking up on Mist, but Mist noticed him and kicked out behind her, her footprint now part of Karol's face.

Rita was fiddling around with her spirit powered bohdi blastia while Estelle watched her.

Judith stood at the front of the ship, having a telepathic conversation with Ba'ul.

Bouquet was talking with Andropov about his feelings about Kluke.

And Yuri and Conrad were chatting away.

"So you've been able to fight with your Shadow, then?" Yuri asked.

"That's right," Conrad replied. "Kirin was very cooperative with me and we soon worked out a few attacks."

"I wonder if anyone else you guys know has a Shadow," Yuri said.

"You know, I thought originally that only the decendents of the Seven Soldiers of Light could have Shadows, but it seems there are also people who awaken Shadows without being decendents. People like Zola, who have fake Shadows," Conrad explained.

"Well, you and Marumaro's brother and sister have Shadows, so maybe it's possible for anyone to have one," Yuri replied.

"I wonder..." Conrad murmured.

* * *

After a couple of hours, the group noticed something down below. A large castle-like fortress was stationed on an island right next to the Four Isles south of Desier.

"What's that?" Yuri asked. Shu's eyes narrowed.

"Rosekstan," he replied bluntly. There was a sudden flash and Ba'ul let out a shrill cry, droplets of blood splattering onto the ship as he frantically tried staying airborne. However another cannon fired and the ship quickly began descending toward the land below.

"Ba'ul!" Judith exclaimed. "Just hang in there!" Ba'ul replied with a weak howl, but continued dropping.

"At this rate, we'll crash!" Tokunaga shouted, clinging to the cabin as a canon found it's mark on the side of the Fiertia, the ship shaking dangerously. Mist stumbled backwards and right over the edge, Flynn grabbing her wrist just in time. By now, the ship was just above the treeline as another cannon fired at the ship, the shockwave throwing both Knights over the edge just as the ship made contact with the top of a tree, ripping through the hull.

"Flynn! Mist!" Yuri shouted. The last thing he saw was the ship making contact with the ground, splinters and planks flying everywhere, the ship itself collapsing inward and taking everyone down.

* * *

Flynn woke with a groan, rubbing his head. It didn't take long for him to realize someone had a grip on him. Looking down, he saw Mist had shielded him from the fall.

"Mist!" Flynn exclaimed, cradling her in his arms. "Mist! Wake up!" Mist didn't stir. Blood ran down her face from a head injury and her breathing was heavy. His eyes shot upward at the sound of footsteps. He narrowed them as soldiers surrounded them, gun aimed in their direction. A lady with ginger hair and wearing a red uniform approached them.

"So who do we have here?" she asked. "I thought the sentries reported the Shadow Wielders onboard that ship."

"Lady Matilda, other soldiers are investigating the crashed ship," one soldier replied. Matilda closed her eyes, thinking, then opened them again, turning around.

"I'll take them to General Logi," she said. "You all join the search party."

"Yes ma'am!" the soldiers replied, running off toward the direction the Fiertia crashed.

"Zephyrus!" Matilda shouted, summoning her Shadow. The Shadow roared and the three vanished in a flash of blue.

* * *

Yuri slowly crawled out of the wreckage of the Fiertia, coughing as he inhaled some of the dust floating around. When he was out, he saw everyone else had managed to escape.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked.

"We're fine," Estelle replied, looking down. "But Flynn and Mist..."

"We should look for them as soon as possible," Conrad suggested. Judith was next to Ba'ul, resting one hand on the gigantic Entelexeia.

"Ba'ul should be fine," she reported.

"But the Fiertia's totalled," Karol murmured, glancing over at the pile of debris that used to be the Fiertia. He looked over at Tokunaga. "Do you think Gull's Song could provide us with another ship?"

"I'm afraid I can't even get to Dahngrest," Tokunaga said, rubbing his head. "I'll need a ship to take me there."

"Looks like we'll need ta ride on Ba'ul himself," Raven said.

"But what about Flynn and Mist?" Estelle asked.

"I'm pretty sure we have more things to worry about at this point," Jiro said, looking ahead. Approaching the wreckage were Rosekstan soldiers.

"Do you think they've found those two already?" Bouquet asked.

"We'll beat the soldiers up, mira!" Marumira exclaimed.

"That's right, tora!" Marutora added. Kluke turned sharply toward the two.

"Now's not the time! We need to get out of here as fast as we can!"

"I agree," Conrad said. "We're outnumbered as it is. We should retreat for now and come up with a strategy for rescuing Flynn and Mist."

"Yeah. Let's all get on Ba'ul for now!" Yuri exclaimed. He turned to Judith. "Judy, is Ba'ul fit enough for flying?"

"He's pretty tough," Judith replied. "He'll be fine."

"Let's go then!" Shu said. He, Kluke, Marumaro, and Andropov summoned their Shadows, everyone boarding them. They were flown onto Ba'ul's wide back, the Shadows vanishing.

"Hold on tight!" Judith called out behind her. Everyone gripped the multicolored fur running down Ba'ul's back tightly as the massive Entelexeia howled, taking off into the air and flying away from the base.

* * *

"Who are these two, Matilda?" Logi asked, staring at Flynn and Mist, who had regained consciousness. Soldiers were positioned around them, guns raised in case either one of them tried anything funny.

"They fell from the flying ship we shot down, sir," Matilda replied. "We have reason to believe they have a connection to those Shadow Wielders."

"And the Shadow Wielders themselves?" Logi questioned.

"We are still scouting for them around where that ship crashed," Matilda answered. Logi walked over to the two Knights.

"From the looks of you two, you aren't from our world. Am I wrong?" Logi asked.

"We're Imperial Knights from Terca Lumires, our world," Flynn replied.

"And do you have connections to a group of Shadow Wielders?"

"Why should we answer you?" Mist growled. Logi smirked.

"It seems you still haven't realized the situation you're in right now. I'm the one in charge here. I could have the both of you executed at a single command."

"But you won't, will you?" Mist smirked. "We're valuable sources of information on your biggest enemies. Killing us would accomplish nothing."

"I see you're the arrogant type," Logi commented. "However, we have other ways of obtaining the information we need, so you'd better watch that mouth of yours if you want to stay alive."

"General, what should we do with them?" Matilada asked.

"Throw them in a prison cell for now," Logi replied. "We'll have some use from them yet."


	6. Rosekstan

The prison cell that held Flynn and Mist was large and spacious, the large door electronically locked. Flynn used First Aid, closing the gash on Mist's head from the fall.

"Thanks," she breathed. Flynn gave her a smile.

"That was awfully reckless of you, you know?"

"Strange hearing you say that," Mist replied. "Most of the time it's me who's saying it."

"I'm just worried about you is all," Flynn said. "Just promise me you won't do anything like that again."

Mist leaned in, kissing Flynn on the forehead. "Fine. As long as you do the same." She pulled back, worry glittering in her eyes. "I can't bear the thought of you dying." Tears began spilling out and Flynn wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close.

"I'm sorry I've worried you. But I also can't bear the thought of you dead either. I want to protect you even if it kills me."

Mist returned the embrace, gripping his blue tunic tightly as her body trembled, burying her face in his shoulder. "Just make sure you don't die. Please...please don't go dying on me. I...I love you so much. Promise me you won't go and get yourself killed..."

"I promise," Flynn murmured softly. "You know full well I don't die easily."

"You've been lucky so far," Mist grumbled through the fabric of his tunic. "Just...don't pull a stupid stunt that gets you killed, or I'll never ever forgive you."

"Okay, I get it," Flynn chuckled, releasing Mist as she did the same, wiping her eyes. "Now, do you think you could use your magic to blast us out of here?"

"Yeah, should be no problem," Mist replied with a smirk. "Good thing Logi didn't take our blastia. He must not know a thing about them." She stood up, facing the door. A fire magic circle appeared under her. "O seething fire, be as a holy beast to devour the wicked... Flame Dragon!"

* * *

Logi was in the lab where the scientists tested out the new weapons when Matilda burst into the room, panting and out of breath.

"What is it?" he demanded.

"The two prisoners have broken out, sir!" Matilda exclaimed. "They're making their way toward the west exit. What are your orders, sir?"

Logi gritted his teeth in anger and frustration. He headed for the lab door. "Order all men to hunt them down. Capture them dead or alive!"

"And you sir?" Matilda asked.

"I'm joining in on the hunt. Odin!" Logi shouted, summoning his Shadow.

"What is it?" Odin asked.

"We're going to track down two escapees. Let's go!"

As Logi rushed out the door, Matilda headed for the alarm, hitting it, and grabbed the speaker next to it. "Attention! Two prisoners have escaped and are heading for the western exit! All soldiers are to track them down! General Logi's orders are to capture them dead or alive!"

* * *

Flynn and Mist were running down the hallway after breaking into the storage room and grabbing their things. Suddenly, an alarm blared and a voice boomed over the loudspeakers.

"_Attention! Two prisoners have escaped and are heading for the western exit! All soldiers are to track them down! General Logi's orders are to capture them dead or alive!"_

"Dammit!" Flynn hissed. "We've got to hurry!"

"Agreed," Mist replied. "Sounds like we'll be having some company soon."

"I hope Yuri and the others are on their way to bail us out!" Flynn added. "Today's just not our day, is it?" He turned his head at the sound of footsteps.

"They've already caught up?!" Mist exclaimed, seeing several soldiers chasing them. They raised their guns and began firing. "Shit!" Mist halted, spinning around as she yanked her sword out, using it to repel the bullets. "Dragon Claw!"

"Nice job," Flynn said as the attack made contact with the soldiers, creating a smokescreen that would cover their retreat for a short while. "Let's keep moving!"

The two continued to dash down the hallway. The footsteps of the soldiers soon pursued them again. Mist let out a cry as a bullet hit her in the forearm, stumbling to the ground as she gripped it with her other hand. "Not my day..." she hissed through clenched teeth.

"Mist!" Flynn exclaimed, performing Demon Fang to knock their pursuers back again. He quickly hoisted her back to her feet, wrapping one arm around her waist. "Just lean on me. We'll get out of here somehow."

"Thanks," Mist gritted out, biting back a hiss of pain.

"Sorry I can't heal it right away," Flynn appologized as he led Mist onward.

"Don't worry about it," Mist replied. "I already realize we'd have to stop completely in order for you to cast First Aid. At this time, we can't afford to slow down or we'll be killed."

The two ran the best Mist could allow. They could already hear the soldiers chasing after them yet again.

"They're tenacious, I'll give them that," Mist grumbled, sneaking a peek behind her.

"There's the exit up ahead!" Flynn exclaimed.

"Thank the gods," Mist sighed. However, as soon as they emerged outside, a voice boomed ahead of them.

"Gungnir Rising!"

A yellow energy beam shot out at the two. In the last second, Flynn pulled Mist down, crouching over her as the energy beam made contact with his back, Flynn screaming in pain.

"Flynn!" Mist cried out.

* * *

"How does Ba'ul's wound look?" Yuri asked. Judith was next to Ba'ul after the Entelexeia landed them on the Four Isles. "Well?" he prompted when she didn't reply right away.

"It looks bad, but Ba'ul's tough. He'll recover in no time," Judith replied.

"Couldn't Estelle use her healing artes on him?" Kluke asked.

"No," Judith replied grimly. "Her power is a poison to the Entelexeia. She'd end up killing him. Sorry Estelle," Judith added when Estelle dropped her head.

"It's okay," Estelle murmured. "I've already come to accept that my power isn't able to help everybody."

"But we need to worry about busting Flynn and Mist out," Yuri reminded the group.

"That's right," Karol agreed. "They could be in serious trouble!"

"Knowing Logi, he'd have the security increased on the facility," Jiro pointed out. "It'll be hard sneaking in undetected."

"We could go in two groups," Conrad suggested. "One could serve as a distraction for teh guards while the other sneaks in and breaks Flynn and Mist out."

"There's only one problem," Raven said, crossing his arms. His tone of voice suggested he was getting into the character of Schwann Olterain. "We don't know _where _to even begin looking. All of us could very well be captured as well if we take too long searching every square inch of that place for them."

"Then what do you suggest we do otherwise?" Yuri asked.

"Someone could break into the security room and find out where those two are located in the facility," Raven replied.

"I could go do that," Kluke offered. "I'm great at hacking into computers."

"I could go escort her," Jiro added.

"And why you? Why not me?" Andropov growled.

"Probably because I'm in better condition than you are," Jiro retorted. "You still haven't recovered completely from the injuries you suffered three years ago. Your body is still liable to give out."

"I actually think it would be better for Bouquet to go," Shu interrupted. "With her power of turning invisible, it would be no problem for her to sneak into the security room."

"But there's still the problem of her being able to hack into the network," Kluke pointed out.

"Yeah. I don't think I'd be able to do that," Bouquet agreed.

"Couldn't Kluke just show you, maro?" Marumaro asked.

"I can't," Kluke replied. "I'd need to see the setup itself in order to be able to hack into it."

"I don't get why we can't just go back to our original plan," Rita said.

"With us breaking into two teams? Conrad did have a point there," Yuri replied. "It wouldn't do Flynn and Mist any good if we got captured as well."

"We'll beat up anyone who get's in our way, tora!" Marutora shouted, pumping his fists in the air. "Right, Marumira?"

"That's right, mira!" Marumira agreed, doing the same. Everyone else just sighed.

"Look. The longer we hang around here, the greater the chance Flynn and Mist could be in trouble," Yuri said. "We'll just need to come up with a plan when we get there." He glanced at Judith. "Do you think Ba'ul could fly us one more time?"

Ba'ul howled and Judith glanced up at the dragon. "He says he can handle it and not to doubt his strength."

"Thanks, buddy," Yuri said to Ba'ul. He turned to everyone else. "Right. Let's go!"

* * *

"Flynn! Are you okay?!" Mist exclaimed. Flynn had his eyes squeezed shut and his teeth clenched tightly. His face was only inches above Mist's. Smoke drifted from Flynn's back, where the energy had blown a hole in his clothing and left his back bloody.

"I-I'm fine..." Flynn managed to say through the excruciating pain.

"Seems we found our two escapees."

Mist stared past Flynn. Logi took a few steps toward them, a Shadow right behind him. It raised it's spear.

"I'll kill you both here and now!" Logi shouted as Odin threw the spear. Flynn grabbed Mist and threw her and himself sideways. The large spear ripped through his side, blood splashing onto the grass.

"Flynn...!" Mist gasped, covering her mouth in horror. She was a couple of feet from where Flynn was crouched on his hands and knees. There was a large ragged cut in Flynn's side, Flynn himself hissing as pain shot up him and blood continued to fall to the ground.

"You two do realize none of this would be happening if you hadn't decided to try escaping in the first place," Logi said, walking toward them.

"Shall I kill them now?" Odin asked.

"Go right ahead," Logi replied with a smirk. Odin grabbed his spear, looming over the two. "Gungnir Rising!"

"Blue Flare Evolution!"

The blue energy blast canceled out Gungnir Rising as Blue Dragon, merged with Bouquet and Hippo, flew down and landed a kick on the Shadow. Estelle rushed over to Flynn and Mist to tend to their wounds while everyone else arrived. The other Shadow Wielders already had their Shadows summoned.

"Dammit," Logi growled. He turned on his communicator. "Send in the Type 6's and the Sleipnirs." A hatch in the base opened, allowing the Type 6 Black Shadow troops to fly out, along with three piloted Sleipnirs. The Shadows for the Type 6's appeared as they surrounded the group.

"Mind filling us in about these things?" Yuri asked, glancing at Shu. Kluke answeared instead.

"The robots are able to summon Shadows, thankfully weaker than normal ones, though they possess other weapons. The Sleipnirs have high speed and attack power, so they'll be more difficult to deal with. They specialize in long-range attacks. Just stay on your toes and you should be fine."

"And the Sleipnirs are manned, so be extra careful," Jiro added.

"Estelle! How do those two look?" Yuri shouted behind him at Estelle.

"The wounds are pretty serious," Estelle reported. "They'll need to stay out of the fighting."

"I'm fine!" Mist insisted.

"No, you are not!" Estelle persisted, holding her injured arm to inspect it.

"You two up for your first fight?" Shu asked Marutora and Marumira.

"We'll be fine, tora," Marutora replied.

"Marumaro taught us how to fight, mira!" Marumira replied.

"You'll be surprised at what they can do, maro," Marumaro said, grinning. Shu sighed.

"I sure hope you're right."

"Will you be fine, Conrad?" Kluke asked. "This is also your first real fight with a Shadow."

"Don't worry about it," Conrad reassured her. "Let's do this, Kirin!"

"Right!" Kirin replied. The Shadow rammed into the nearest Black Shadow unit, destroying it. The other Type 6 Shadows shot at it, but Kraken got in the way.

"Aqua Whip!" Marutora shouted. Water appeared in front of Kraken, forming a large whip. It lashed out, blocking the energy beams and destroying the Shadows.

"Tri-Beam!" Marumira called out. Cerberus reared up, each head firing an energy beam at another Type 6.

"Toldja!" Marumaro beamed at Shu. He turned, facing a Type 6 Shadow heading right for him. "Sonic Scissors!"

Saber-Tiger's attack ripped through the Shadow, destroying it and the robot.

"Crystal Square!" Andropov shouted, trapping a group of robots while Rita finished them off with Indignation.

"Ultra-Punishing Smash!" Karol's arte completely demolished another Type 6.

"Moonbeam!" Judith's attack took out yet another while Minotaur's Conquer destroyed two more. One of the Sleipnirs fired at him, but Phoenix's Feather Protect blocked it. Yuri leaped up onto it, raising Second Star.

"Get off!" the pilot shouted, making the robot attempt to shake Yuri off. "Help me, you two!"

Yuri slashed down, wrecking the engine. Smoke poured out of the robot as it began falling, Yuri leaping off at just the last second. The robot crashed, the pilot getting out just as the Sleipnir exploded. Raven took out a second Sleipnir with a well-aimed arrow, leaving one left.

"Dammit," the pilot, sounding female, cursed. She shot at the archer, but Rita cancelled it out with Flame Dragon. Minotaur used Conquer on the Sleipnir, making it crash land just as the girl piloting barely escaped. Meanwhile, Saber-Tiger, Judith, and Blue Dragon finished the last of the Type 6's, leaving Logi as the last one.

"It's over, Logi," Shu said.

"Not while I'm still here," Logi retorted, lending power to Odin. The Shadow shot forward, swinging his spear. Blue Dragon raised the shield attached to his arm, growing as Odin increased the pressure.

"Whirlpool!"

"Lightning!"

Kraken and Cerberus launched their attacks at Odin as Blue Dragon pushed the Shadow away, Kraken's water attack increasing the power of Cerberus's Lightning. The Shadow staggered back, stunned long enough for Minotaur to unleash Waves of Rage, taking the Shadow down.

"Odin!" Logi shouted. Blue Dragon slowly approached them, ready to deal the final blow when Matilda and Zephyrus appeared in a blue flash.

"General!" she shouted. Zephyrus let out a cry and she and Logi vanished in another flash of blue. Bouquet and Hippo separated from Blue Dragon as all the Shadows vanished in a blue light.

"I guess that's do- -" Yuri was cut off by Mist's yell.

"Son of a damned bitch!"

"Mist! Please watch your language in front of Lady Estellise!" That was Flynn. Everyone turned to the commotion. Estelle had finally managed to remove the bullet from Mist's arm and now the woman was cursing just about every living thing. Flynn had already had his injuries bandaged and was staring awkwardly at Mist's performance.

"I suppose we should go before Logi decides to show up again," Judith said. She looked up toward the sky. "Ba'ul needs to find someplace to recover and we need a new ship. I suggest Dahngrest should be our first destination."

"You sure that's such a good idea?" Karol asked. "We _do_ have two Knights with us after all."

"I'll beat the hell out of anyone who gives us any problems," Yuri snarled, his grip on Second Star tightening. Karol sweatdropped.

"I don't think that would be a very wise move, Yuri..."

"It doesn't matter where we go, as long as it's away from here," Raven pointed out.

"He's right, you know," Judith agreed.

"In any case, we won't be able to travel for extended periods of time without a ship," Rita said.

"We could drop Tokunaga off at Dahngrest so he could try to hook us up with another ship while we find someplace to stay while we plan out our next move," Judith suggested.

"We could stay at Heliord," Estelle said.

"Good idea," Yuri agreed. "Well, let's head out."

* * *

When they dropped Tokunaga off, the sun was starting to set. When they reached Heliord, the moon was high in the sky. Yuri was able to rent a few rooms for the group. Flynn and Mist stayed in one with Estelle staying with them to continue to see to their wounds. All the girls slept in another, while the boys slept in a third.

It was midnight and Mist woke up. She glanced over to see Estelle asleep on the couch, exhausted from her use of healing artes. Mist chuckled slightly and got out of bed, walking over to the outside balcony overlooking the outside forest.

"Can't sleep either?"

Mist looked over her shoulder. Flynn walked over until he stood next to her, wrapping one arm around her shoulders.

"Not really," Mist replied then giggled. "Arm hurts like a bitch."

"No surprise there," Flynn laughed. His face hardened. "I wonder how we'll be able to deal with the ancient Entelexeia. From what Origin described, they sound powerful."

"Even so, we won't allow them to take over," Mist said. "We'll just find some way to defeat them."

"Perhaps we should do what Origin suggested and find some of his former followers," Flynn said. "They may even aid us."

"It's not guarenteed, though," Mist pointed out.

"It's worth a try," Flynn replied.

"But we also have a probable war between the two worlds to worry about as well," Mist said, narrowing her eyes. "It almost seems like nothing ever settles down."

"That's why we should enjoy peaceful moments like tonight as much as possible," Flynn replied. He turned and headed toward his belongings, shifting through them.

"Flynn?" Mist questioned. Flynn came back toward her.

"Close your eyes," he said. Mist gave him a questioning look, but obeyed. A moment later, he gave the word to open them. "Happy birthday."

Mist looked down. Around her neck was a necklace. It had a violet crystal with a silver dragon coiled around it.

"Flynn, I love it!" Mist exclaimed, hugging Flynn tightly.

"I thought you would," Flynn replied.

* * *

Judith was outside of town, communicating telepathically with Ba'ul.

_'How are your wounds?' _she asked.

_'Doesn't hurt as much anymore,' _Ba'ul replied. _'Just give me a couple of days. I'll be fine then. You know, you worry way too much about me.'_

_'Of course I worry about you. You're my friend!' _Judith sent back. _'Have you attempted to make contact with the ancient Entelexeia?'_

_'Sadly, it's hard to find them as I have never met them before. I have made contact with a few_ _though_,' Ba'ul replied._ 'However, their language is still unfamiliar to me, though they've begun to adapt to the present one. It will take time to have a full conversation with them.'_

_'Do your best then. I'm counting on you,' _Judith finished, breaking the telepathic communication. She started to walk back to the inn when she encountered Yuri.

"You talk to Ba'ul?" Yuri asked.

"Yes," Judith replied. "I've asked him to try talking with the ancient Entelexeia in order to find those no longer loyal to Jennuir. He told me it will take time for them to adapt to our language and the language used by the present day Entelexeia."

"Hopefully, we'll be able to make some sort of alliance with them to help us with Jennuir," Yuri said.

"Maybe, but it could be difficult," Judith replied. "They don't know anything about us. They may attack instead."

"That would be bad," Yuri sighed. "I'm just hoping things will go smoothly."

"We'll just have to worry about that when the time comes," Judith said, walking past Yuri. "It's pretty late. We should be getting back to bed."

"You don't seem too worried at all..." Yuri murmured.

"Really? That's strange," Judith replied, glancing back. "Goodnight then."

"Yeah. 'Night."

* * *

The next morning, everyone got ready to head out. Yuri glanced over at Judith.

"Is Ba'ul fit enough to fly?"

"He'll be fine," Judith replied.

"I wonder if Tokunaga's arranged another ship for us," Karol said.

"I doubt it. Things like that take awhile," Raven replied. "So, where are we headed?"

"Maybe we should visit Sui in Korin," Kluke suggested. "She might have learned something new."

"Good idea, Kluke," Shu replied.

"Better than nothing," Yuri shrugged. He turned to Karol. "What do you say, Boss?"

"Yeah. That's a good first destination," Karol agreed.

"Ba'ul is waiting for us just outside of Heliord," Judith said. "We shouldn't keep him waiting too long."

"Right. Let's go," Yuri said.

* * *

It was past noon by the time Ba'ul landed at the entrance of Korin. Everyone got off and Ba'ul took off again. But something wasn't right.

"What in the world happened here?!" Shu exclaimed. The city of Korin was almost completely demolished. Buildings were smashed in, debris littered the walkways, and the citizens were in panic.

"Look! There's Sui!" Kluke said, pointing to a large group of people. Sui and the other informants were attempting to calm the people. They dashed over when they saw the group approach.

"Sui, what happened here?!" Conrad demanded.

"You guys arrived late," Sui said. "A little while ago, a giant monster appeared and demolished the entire town in mere seconds. We're having a difficult time calming the people. It's total chaos here!"

"I've never heard of a monster that could destroy a town in such a small amount of time," Karol murmured, thinking. "The only beings who would be capable of that would be the Entelexeia."

"What did this monster look like?" Judith asked.

"It resembled a raccoon in a way," Sui replied. "It was about twice as large as the buildings here. It was golden in color with blue vein marks all over its body and a gigantic tail. It's eyes were golden and the pupil was in the shape of a cross."

"I've never seen an Entelexeia matching that description," Judith murmured.

"And the attack here wasn't the only one," Sui continued grimly. "Reports told us that other cities and towns have been attacked. Giant creatures were the cause in all of those incidents. In the attack here, the monster spoke before attacking."

"What did it say?" Yuri asked.

"It said something about the world falling back into the rule of its true king," Sui replied. "The only other thing it said was it's name, Shukaku [1]."

"It must be Jennuir's followers that are attacking!" Estelle exclaimed.

"From the looks of this place, I'd say they're pretty powerful," Flynn commented grimly.

"We're gonna need a lot of help with this," Mist agreed. "I doubt we'd stand much of a chance."

"Do you need any help with repairs?" Conrad asked.

"As a matter of fact, we do," Sui replied. "We'd like to ask the White Guardians for their assistance in repairs as well as protection against any other attacks."

"I'll ask Dr. Tarkovsky for his assistance, then," Conrad replied.

"So off to Nirvana?" Shu asked.

"If you don't mind, could you take me their?" Conrad asked, turning to Yuri.

"Sure," Yuri replied. He looked at Judith. "Is Ba'ul okay with that?"

"I'm sure he doesn't mind," Judith replied. "Ba'ul likes to help out in any way he can."

"What do we do after we drop him off?" Rita asked.

"We should try gathering information on Jennuir's followers," Judith suggested.

"Or find his former followers," Mist added. "I bet they could tell us a lot about him."

"Either way, we're stuck for now," Yuri sighed. "We can decide our next move after we reach Nirvana."

"Okay!" Karol exclaimed. "Everyone! Let's head out!"

* * *

**[1] For those of you who watch Naruto, you'd recognize Shukaku as the One Tails's real name. I'll be putting in the other eight Tailed Beasts as Entelexeia in the story, but using their real names. For example: Instead of Two Tails, it'll be Matatabi. Instead of Three Tails, it'll be Isobu. For Four Tails, it'll be Son Goku, and so on.**


	7. Memories

**Sorry for the wait. Real life has been having an arguement with me. I've joined Scholastic Bowl at school and followed right after practice is Tae Kwon Do. By the time I'm done, it's shower time then bed. It has been an EXHAUSTING school year so far.**

* * *

The group finally arrived in Nirvana and headed straight for the castle. However, they were met by an awkward man with a blonde afro.

"Knight Master Conrad!" he exclaimed. "We've been looking all over for you!"

"Who's this?" Yuri asked, blinking a couple of times in surprise.

"Legolas," Shu, Jiro, Marumaro, Kluke, and Bouquet replied, all five sweatdropping.

"I've only been away a short time, Legolas," Conrad said.

"Yeah, but...!" Legolas protested, but stopped himself, staring at the group behind the Knight Master. "Oh. It's you guys."

"This old man's a joke..." Mist grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I am not an old man!" Legolas protested, storming over to her. "And just who are you guys?" He scanned the Terca Lumires group suspiciously. Conrad walked over to him.

"These people are from the other world, Legolas," Conrad explained. "I'm only going to be here shortly to gather men to help with the repairs on Korin."

"So it's true the informant city was attacked?!" Legolas exclaimed. "Nirvana could very well be next!"

"Ooh, will you shut the hell up?!" Rita demanded. "You're giving me a headache!"

"Same here," Karol grumbled, covering his ears.

"Shut up." Rita smacked Karol over the head, making the boy fall face-first to the ground.

"Wh-what did I say?!" Karol exclaimed.

"Play nice you two," Yuri said, casting a sidelong glance at the two.

Flynn glanced up at the darkening sky. "It's starting to get late," he commented before facing Conrad. "Do you mind if we stay the night here?"

"It shouldn't be a problem," Conrad replied. "Follow me. I'll escort you into the castle."

* * *

"Wow! Look at all this food!" Shu exclaimed. The group was in the dining hall, where tables of food awaited them. The three Devee began drooling and Kluke had to restrain them from shooting forward and devouring it all.

"Behave!" she scolded.

"Don't worry," Conrad chuckled. "There's plenty for everyone."

"I see you all are getting settled in," a voice sounded behind them. The group turned around, seeing an old man and a light blonde haired girl beside them.

"Hey! Purimura!" Shu exclaimed, running over to the girl. She gave him a small smile.

"It's been awhile, Shu," she replied.

"Dr. Tarkovsky," Conrad addressed the old man. "These are the people I told you about." He gestured to the group from Terca Lumires.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Dr. Tarkovsky said to the group. "I hope both our worlds will find a way to coexist with each other."

"That's what we're hoping for as well," Flynn replied, stepping forward. "My name is Flynn Scifo, Commandant of the Imperial Knights of Zaphias. This is my second-in-command, Mist Scifo." He gestured to Mist.

"So are you two brother and sister?" Dr. Tarkovsky asked.

"Uh, well..." Mist began awkwardly, before Yuri interrupted her.

"Might wanna see their rings first," he smirked. Mist glared and elbowed him in the ribs. Hard.

"When will you grow up?!" she demanded. "People get married all the time! It's not like we're the first ones!"

"When will you stop abusing me?!" Yuri retorted, rubbing the area she elbowed.

"When you can learn to keep that mouth of yours shut for once!" Mist growled.

"Flynn, I pity you, you know?" Yuri said, glancing at Flynn. This earned him a kick to the leg. "Ow!"

"Shut the hell up!" Mist yelled.

* * *

Night fell and everyone headed off to the guest rooms. Judith paused halfway in the doorway, her eyes narrowing for a second.

"What's wrong, Judith?" Kluke asked. Judith hesitated before replying.

"I though I sensed something. It probably was just my imagination."

"You probably just need to get some sleep," Bouquet suggested.

"Are you sure it was nothing, Judith?" Estelle questioned, worry etched into her face.

"I'm not too sure. I just had a chill go up my spine."

"It was probably nothing, then," Rita yawned, sitting on her bed and stretching before plopping down. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I need some serious shut-eye."

"Yeah, me too," Kluke agreed, settling down into her bed. "Well, good night everyone."

"Yeah. 'Night," Bouquet yawned.

* * *

"Mist, you need to go to bed at some point," Flynn said.

"I know, I know. I just need a quick drink and I'll join you," Mist replied, reaching for her mug. Just before she could grab it, the mug cracked, making Mist jerk her hand back, her eyes narrowing.

"Is something wrong, Mist?" Flynn asked, walking over to her.

"I'm just getting this feeling that something bad's gonna happen," Mist murmured. "I'm not usually one to believe in omens, but this one's making me nervous..."

"It's probably just an old mug," Flynn reassured her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

"Maybe..."

Flynn sighed, pulling Mist close, his breath warm on her ear as he whispered in it. "Come on. Let's get to bed. It won't do us any good to be tired in the morning."

Mist relaxed, resting her head on his shoulder. "You're right. I'm probably just being over sensitive."

However, as the two settled down in bed, doubt continued to gnaw inside Mist. Was there really nothing to worry about?

* * *

Conrad was heading off to bed when a soldier stopped him.

"Sir, a large creature is headed our way!"

"A what?!" Conrad exclaimed.

"A red fox with nine tails," the soldier explained.

"Evacuate the entire city!" Conrad ordered. "I want every soldier at the ready for an attack! Send the citizens to Zaphias, the city to the east of here!"

"Yes sir!" the soldier replied, saluting, before running off. Conrad headed in the opposite direction, reaching the guest area and barging through the first bedroom door, startling Flynn and Mist, who were sleeping until just now.

"Is there something wrong?" Flynn asked, sensing the urgency from Conrad.

"It seems an Entelexeia is headed for Nirvana. I've ordered all the citizens to be evacuated to Zaphias. Is that acceptable?" Conrad asked.

"Yes," Flynn replied.

"We will be defending the city," Conrad explained. "Will you assist us?"

"Of course," Flynn said, reaching for his uniform. Mist rubbed her eyes, ywaning loudly.

"Do what when how where why?" she mumbled, her words slightly slurred from sleep.

"An Entelexeia is approaching Nirvana," Flynn explained. Mist was immediately alert and groped for her uniform as Conrad went into the other bedrooms, informing the rest of the group of the situation. Within minutes, everyone was dashing outside the castle toward the entrance to the city. Already, the Entelexeia was just about upon the city. It was almost as tall as the walls themselves, nine bushy tails thrashing wildly about.

"Attack!" Conrad shouted, every soldier around him charging at the large fox. The Entelexeia chuckled at this.

"You puny humans don't stand a chance against me, Kurama," he said. He opened his mouth, a small red energy ball forming. Kurama ate it and fired it, immediately charging another before the first could even make contact with the army. He fired five consecutive energy balls, each one blasting away soldiers and leaving small craters in the ground.

"Kirin!" Conrad shouted, summoning his Shadow. At the same time, a sixth energy ball was fired, aiming straight for the Knight Master.

"Feather Protect!" A blue barrier surrounded Conrad and Kirin, shielding them from the attack.

"Thanks, Kluke," Conrad called over his shoulder.

"Just be careful," Kluke warned. "You're not as experienced with using a Shadow as the rest of us."

"Blue Explosion!"

"Sky Terror!"

Minotaur and Blue Dragon's attacks didn't seem to have an effect on Kurama. Instead, it just made the Entelexeia angrier. He roared, swiping at the Shadows and taking them and their wielders down. The soldiers proved helpless against Kurama as the fox took them out by slamming each of his tails down on them.

"Meteor Storm!" Rita and Mist shouted. The fire spell staggered Kurama, the Entelexeia wincing slightly before recovering. At the same time, Saber-Tiger, merged with Hippo, used Sonic Scissors, slashing Kurama's muzzle and leaving a large cut on it.

Kurama spat, clawing at the Shadow as he seemed to be all over the place, landing slashes before appearing in another place and attacking.

"Rending Saber!" Conrad shouted. Kirin's golden horn glowed and the Shadow shot forward, intent on running the Entelexeia through. Kurama saw this and grabbed the Shadow, slamming him down and causing the Shadow to vanish in a blue light as Conrad cried out in pain. He grimaced and charged at the Entelexeia, swinging his sword at one of Kurama's hind legs, digging it in deeply.

Kurama's red eyes widened and he snapped his head around, snarling at the Knight Master. He wrenched his leg from the sword and lashed out with one hand, sending Conrad flying into the city wall.

"Conrad!" Shu exclaimed, starting to run over to the Knight Master.

"Shu! Think fast!" Blue Dragon roared. Shu turned just in time to see Kurama rake at him, Shu and Blue Dragon ducking at the last second. Kraken and Cerberus took this chance and grabbed the arm.

"Let go!" Kurama growled.

"Not a chance!" Kraken snapped.

"Great Hurricane!" Marutora shouted. Water appeared around Kraken, increasing rapidly before slamming into Kurama. At the same time, Marumira had Cerberus use Triple Blast, each head firing an energy ball at the Entelexeia. Kurama was sent staggering backwards, growling and shaking his head.

"Light Dragon...Destruction!" The three golden dragons from Flynn's Mystic Arte caused Kurama to stagger onto his hind legs and fall onto his back.

"Crystal Square!" Andropov shouted, binding Kurama long enough for everyone else to cause some more damage.

"Enough!" Kurama roared, whipping his nine tails and knocking the attackers back. He threw his head back, aer compressing into a giant ball in front of his mouth. He fired it, the energy ball hitting Nirvana castle and exploding, the blast enveloping the city and reducing it to nothing.

"No way..." Kluke gasped, one hand over her mouth. Conrad, who was being seen to by Estelle, jumped to his feet, despite Estelle protesting against this, and stared jaw-dropped at the destruction.

"This can't be happening..." Conrad murmured. Behind the group, Kurama chuckled coldly.

"This is what happens when you don't swear loyalty to us," the Entelexeia said. "Don't make us destroy every last one of you." The fox turned and dashed away, tails streaming behind him, before anyone else could react.

"That bastard!" Shu exclaimed, glaring in the direction Kurama ran off.

"I can't believe how much power he had," Andropov commented, wide-eyed.

"If I had to make a guess, I'd say he was holding back big time when fighting us," Mist said, crossing her arms. "If he had that much power at his disposal, he could have wiped us out in a heartbeat."

"So he was just toying with us then," Jiro growled. Flynn glanced over at Conrad.

"Since Nirvana has been destroyed, you and your army could stay in Zaphias for now. We could make a combined force," he suggested.

"That's a good idea. We should talk more there," Conrad replied.

* * *

The sun was barely over the horizon by the time the group reached Zaphias. Estelle and Mist pathced up everyone, most only having minor injuries while Conrad, Yuri, Flynn, and Shu had some pretty deep scratches.

As soon as they reached the Public Quarter, Legolas was running toward them, panic in his face.

"Knight Master Conrad! Is that blood on your uniform?!"

"Legolas, I'm- -" Conrad started, but Legolas interrupted him.

"Hurry! Hurry! We need to have a doctor see to you right away!"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it," Conrad replied, but Legolas wasn't listening.

"We can't have you dying on us! Come on!"

"For the love of all things, HE'S FINE!" Rita shouted, her patience at its limits. Legolas jumped, startled by the mage's sudden outburst. "Estelle's already healed him, so shut up!"

"You've got quite the temper there, little missy," Legolas commented, staring at Rita. "You might want to take a few deep breaths and calm yourself down."

The next thing Legolas knew, he was a screaming ball of fire.

* * *

"Conrad, are you sure you're fine?" Shu asked when they entered the castle. Conrad had winced a couple of times on the way there and was gripping his bandaged wound.

"Don't worry about me," Conrad replied with a slight grimace. "I've had worse injuries than this. I'll be fine."

"Just take it easy," Shu said, still concerned.

"But that thing was powerful," Bouquet murmured.

"It actually looked like it was just testing us that entire battle," Kluke said.

"Probably just to see if we would be a threat to us," Judith replied. "The Entelexeia have learned over the ages that mankind can be powerful if we wish us to be."

"I'm just wondering how we're going to be able to handle these ones," Yuri grumbled. "I highly doubt talking things over will help much."

"Our only option may be to ally ourselves with the other Entelexeia," Judith said. "This way, we may stand a better chance of defeating Jennuir's forces. I've talked to Ba'ul. It seems that after to talking to several Entelexeia, he's found a possible defector."

"Does he know this Entelexeia's name?" Mist asked.

"Fusrodah," Judith replied.

"Location?" Flynn asked.

"That Ba'ul doesn't know yet," Judith admitted. "I've asked him to ask some more Entelexeia. But he's got a good handle on Fusrodah's personality."

"Is it important?" Yuri asked.

"Apparently, it could be difficult to negotiate with him. He's stubborn and doen't take kindly to strangers, especially humans. We may need to subdue him first."

"In other words, we'll need to fight him," Jiro said.

"With any luck, it won't come ta that," Raven said.

"We'd better hope," Flynn murmured. The group entered the hallway where the guest rooms were located. "Mist and I will discuss this with Emperor Ioder. Conrad, you might want to come with us as well."

* * *

"Your real name isn't Mist, is it?"

Mist glanced over at Conrad in surprise. "Where'd that come from?" She, Conrad and Flynn had just finished talking with Ioder and were heading back to the others.

"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but it just seems like an unusual name," Conrad replied. "And it just hit me as well. You mentioned in your story that you don't remember your parents. There's a good chance then that you can't remember your real name. Am I right?"

Mist hesitated for a moment then sighed. "Yeah, my name isn't really Mist. It's short for Mystery."

"Mystery?" Conrad asked.

"It's what the people around me took to calling me," Mist explained. "I hated the name, but I had nothing else to go by, either. And I hate to admit it, but the name suited me. I simply shortened the name to Mist."

"I see," Conrad murmured. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't sweat it," Mist replied. "I've grown used to it. It doesn't bother me as much anymore as it used to." Her eyes narrowed, as if deep in thought. "Over this last year, I've been recalling some memories of my parents, but they're brief and unclear. I remember one having long silver hair, like mine, but with curled ends. I believe that was my father. I have this feeling I've seen him recently, though..."

"Perhaps he's still alive somewhere?" Conrad suggested.

"Why would any parent abandon their own child?!" Mist exclaimed angrily. "I've been on my own for as long as I can remember, believing both my parents were dead!" Mist's eyes widened and she took a step back. "Sorry. I didn't mean to shout."

"It's okay," Conrad replied. "I should be the one appologizing. I was sticking my nose into your personal business."

"No, no," Mist said. "Don't worry about it."

Flynn stared at the two, thinking about what Mist had remembered.

'_A man with curled silver hair...' _Flynn thought. _'__Could it be...'_

* * *

That night, Mist's memories flooded into her dreams:

_Mist was about three years old, witnessing her mother and father arguing back and forth._

_"What do you mean you can't stay with us?!" her mother shouted, scaring a young Mist._

_"I am sorry, but I did not plan for any of this to occur," her father replied calmly. This just made Mist's mother angrier._

_"For what to occur?! To have a daughter?! To live with us?! To take care of Hope?!" _

_"I cannot be a father Hope could be proud of," Mist's father replied. _

_"It's a good thing Hope will be too young to remember you," Mist's mother growled. "You're right about one thing: You are a father she will never be proud of. Leave and never show your face around here ever again."_

Mist woke with a start, gasping for air and her face sweating.

'_Hope?' _she though. '_Is...that my real name?'_

* * *

"Time to eat!" the three Devee called out in the morning, sitting at the large table in the dining hall. As the group ate, Flynn glanced over at Mist. She had been staring into space for awhile now, not even noticing the food being set onto the table.

"Mist?"

Mist jumped, blinking wildly as if she'd just awoken from a trance. "Wh-what is it, Flynn?"

"Are you okay? You've been staring at the wall for several minutes," Flynn replied.

"I'm fine," Mist said, lowering her gaze. "Just... tired, I guess..."

Flynn didn't buy it for a second. Something was definately wrong with her. "Mist, did something happen?"

Mist didn't reply. Flynn wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close. Mist didn't react, her eyes still shadowed with sadness.

"My...father..." she murmured, so softly Flynn almost thought he'd imagined it.

"Huh?" he asked.

"My father... really did abandon me..."

"Mist, what are you talking about?"

Mist buried her face in Flynn's shoulder, her body trembling as she fought back her tears. "Last night, I remembered something..." she replied. "My mother and father were fighting...and my father left us..."

"I see..." Flynn murmured. "Mist- -"

"My name isn't Mist!" Mist suddenly exclaimed, startling the rest of the group.

"What's going on?!" Yuri demanded. Mist continued.

"My name isn't Mist, it's Hope!"


End file.
